


Please (Don’t) Leave Me

by uncouth_peasant



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Choking, Concussions, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Dismemberment, Electrocution, Gen, Graphic Violence, Homesick Lance (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/ some comfort?, Insecure Lance (Voltron), I’m not that mean, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Lance (Voltron) Whump, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Langst, Medical Inaccuracies, Mentioned Shadam, Not beta’d we die like mne, Prisoner!Lance (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) Whump, Swearing, Team as Family, Torture, Whump, did I write it anyway?, do I know how they work? No., more tags to be added., not Lance I promise, physical horror, the entire team needs a hug, worried team, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 39,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26029840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uncouth_peasant/pseuds/uncouth_peasant
Summary: Shiro and Keith said that they were all fine.Shiro and Keith didn’t lie.They were fine.They had to be.But...Lance couldn’t hear them anymore.They wouldn’t leave him.Not if they were really there.It was a trick.It was all a trick.
Relationships: Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Lance and The Blue Lion
Comments: 16
Kudos: 135





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I’m not dead.  
> Did I really just start an entirely new fic in the middle of another?  
> Yes. Yes I did.  
> Did I spend over a month working on it?  
> Yes.  
> Whoops.
> 
> I don’t write angst well. You all know this. But I’m trying. So uh, here:)
> 
> OH- I know that sometimes my writing is a little hard to follow when I change POV, so I changed it. There will be three bolded *** whenever POV changes.
> 
> Let me know if you prefer it- if so, I’ll go back and edit my other works to see if that helps them at all.
> 
> I don’t own anything that you recognize.

**_Present_ **

**_Lance_ **

Ow.

Ow.

Ow ow owowowow _ owowowowOW- _

_ SHIT! _

What was going on?! What- wh- what was this?!

Why did everything hurt?

Where were the others?

What was that  _ smell- Dios _ it smelled like food goo after it went bad (that had been a hilarious experiment- Coran was  _ sooo _ mad at Pidge and Lance- it was terrifying-)

Focus, McClain. Shiro taught you what to do in a situation like this. Don’t panic, don’t lose focus. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Lance could hear Shiro calling out the questions just like he had when Allura assigned the training. Lance almost smiled at the familiar memory’s clarity, ignoring the seriousness of the occasion. The training was needed, despite how pessimistic the preparation was. They all knew that it was too dangerous for the Paladins of Voltron to not have anything to fall back on if (when) they were captured. 

Oh  _ Dios, _ he’d been captured. By the Galra. Probably.

_ What do I do, Shiro? _

**Take stock.** Lance’s eyebrows hit his hairline, surprised at the actually helpful answer. You know, he’d been making a joke with that one, but if the universe was willing to give him this, this one time where his memory was apparently better than good, then Lance was  _ definitely _ not going to complain.

_ Okay. Okay, I can do that. Where do I start? _

**Do you remember how you got here?** Lance racked his brain, desperately trying to figure what could have happened.  _ No. _

**Do you have your armor?** _ No. I only have the black under-suit. _

**Can you reach your Lion?** Lance thought hard for a moment, searching manically for any hint of Blue within reach.  _ No. _

**Injuries?** _Several_. 

  
**Can you pinpoint the worst ones?** Lance thought for a moment, trying to see past the blinding agony making his muscles tense and his knees shake.  _ No. _

**Start small. Wiggle your toes.** _One broken, two jammed._

**Are you wearing your shoes?** _No. My feet are bare._ Lance shifted one foot, noting with distant concern at the sluggish reaction in the cold air. _It’s cold._

Shiro sounded more concerned suddenly. Funny. Shiro hadn’t sounded like this in Lance’s memory of when he taught the Paladins what to do in an emergency. Lance huffed wryly- figures that the one thing to improve since arriving in space would be his imagination.  **What about your legs?** _ Uh. They hurt. _

**Anything more specific?** Lance fought a smile at how exasperated Imaginary-Shiro sounded.  _ No. _

**Can you see any damage?** _No- it’s dark in here. Or I’m blindfolded. I don’t know._ Ah. Hello darkness my old friend indeed.

Except, you know, only bad things happen in the dark. Murder. Theft. Betrayals. Possessed Castles Coercing Unsuspecting But Very Dashing Paladins Into Rigged Airlocks And Leaving Them To Be Saved By Someone With A Mullet Of All Things.

Yeah. The dark was great.

Amazing.

Lance was completely calm.

Entirely calm.

Cool as a cucumber.

_ DiosDiosDiosDiosDiosDios- _

**Stay calm, Lance. You’re doing great.** **Can you feel anything on your torso?** Aww: Imaginary Shiro knew that positive affirmation was the way to this sensitive Paladin’s heart. _Ribs are busted. There’s something wrong with my side._

**Are you bleeding?** _I might be._

**Can you reach the wound?** _Uh… no. No my hands… I can’t move them. They- they won’t-_

Dammit, he’d been doing so well. Lance had stayed cool. Stayed respectable. Stayed the Paladin he was supposed to be. But all too suddenly, the darkness was suffocating, the silence breaking through every defensive wall he had, every pretense of calm Lance could possibly muster.

**Lance? Lance! Lance, stay with me, buddy.**

_ I- I- I don’t thi-think that I can- help- _

Lance didn’t have the mental energy to begin contemplating how pathetic he was- talking to his imaginary, and very nice, Shiro and begging for help.

Jeez.

**Lance! Lance, breathe!** Shiro sounded panicked- that couldn’t be right… Shiro never panicked. Lance did. Lance panicked. Lance was panicking right now. Lance’s world faded, the pain filling his senses and sending Lance to fall back beneath the primal urge of  _ run run get away this is wrong no-  _

**_LANCE!_** Shiro cried, sounding so out of character and desperate that Lance’s thoughts stuttered to a sudden stop.

Lance fixated on the voice in his head, knowing that he was probably going crazy (because your imagination could, in fact, be  _ too _ good. He’d seen enough crime shows to know this).  **Inhale for four, hold for seven, exhale for eight. Breathe with me, buddy.**

So Lance did. He inhaled with the weird whooshing sound that didn’t sound like a breath, but he wasn’t about to call Brain-Shiro out on it. His imagination was trying its best. It took eight reps before he was able to focus on the world around him. Still silent. Still dark. Still stinky.

Lance gave himself bonus points for apparently remembering what the heck the procedure was for staving panic. 

Lance’s head flew up as the sound of metal shrieking into place, face screwing up as his ears were assaulted with the harsh sound. He couldn’t see anything. _Blindfolded_ _then_. (“Is this a game? I hate games!”) Heavy footsteps sounded accompanied by harsh breathing. The _schiiink_ of a knife leaving its sheath. A growl. 

This wasn’t a game.

_ What-!? _

“Paladin,” a gravelly voice murmured. It was masculine. Rough. Kind of Batman-esque if Lance thought about it. Something sharp suddenly appeared below his chin and he stiffened, barely biting back a confused whimper.

_ Dios- get it together. You’re a Paladin. _

**You’re doing great, Lance.**

Why was Shiro still here? Lance had gotten through everything Shiro had taught him. 

**You’re not alone. Don’t forget that.**

What the quiznak?

“A-Asshole,” Lance greeted in turn, wincing internally at the stammer. “I’d love to say that it’s nice to see you but, ah, clearly that’s going to be an issue.”

**Don’t antagonize him.**

Sucks to suck, Brain-Shiro. Lance needed some semblance of control. 

And what better way to gain control than antagonistic conversation?

Batman seemed to have other ideas. The blade beneath his chin jerked angrily, ripping a pained gasp from Lance. 

“Watch your tongue, Paladin, or you may just lose it.” Lance’s eyes widened beneath the blindfold he apparently had on. 

_ Don’t fuck with the guy with a knife. Got it. _

**What do you mean? Who has a knife?**

Of course Keith would enter the conversation the moment someone mentioned a knife. 

Wait- why was Keith here?!

_ That’s different. _

**Don’t worry about it. What’s going on?**

_ I’ll let you know when I do. _

Brain-Keith gave a muffled curse before falling silent. Lance quirked a smirk at the familiar behavior.

Batman didn’t like that. He didn’t say anything, though.

No, Lance knew that Batman didn’t like that because there was the sound of something small flying through the air and sudden blinding pain in the left gap above Lance’s collarbone. 

A desperate, shocked scream filled the space. Tears poured down Lance’s face, escaping beneath the blindfold the teen trying desperately to get a hold of himself between the sobbing gasps lighting his chest on fire.

_ SHIT! What the- I-  _ FUCK _ - _

**Lance?! Talk to me, buddy!**

Oh, Brain Shiro was back. Lance wasn’t sure when he switched from Imaginary Shiro to Brain Shiro, but he was a-okay with the transition. Brain Shiro just… just  _ fit.  _ It sounded more like the Shiro Lance knew. The strong and brave Shiro. Shiro the hero. Lance could really use his strength right now.  _ He _ wouldn’t be crying right now.

“Have you learned your lesson?”

“I don’t,” Lance panted, “even know who you  _ are _ . I don’t know what the  _ fuck _ is going on. I could give a shit about your  _ lessons _ ,” he spat, hoping that he hit the accusing asshat. An outraged roar clued him in that he got close, and the subsequent hit to the gut that sent Lance swinging from the chains wrapped around his wrists let him know that he hit Batman dead on.

Suck it.

**Lance what is going on?!**

Shiro didn’t know? Wasn’t he… here? 

Lance was unable to respond as he swung back and forth, wheezing all the while and trying desperately to  _ breathe dammit- _

**Pidge where are we with that tracker?! Lance!**

Pidge? Why would Brain-Shiro be asking for Pidge? There wasn’t a Brain-Pidge yet.

...was there?

“Holy shit,” he breathed.

That wasn’t Brain-Shiro.

“Problem, Paladin?” Batman hissed, hot breath washing over Lance’s face. He turned away with a grimace, but sudden claws on his cheeks held the terrified sharpshooter fast. 

“Yeah. Your breath.” Thank goodness Lance had finally gotten ahold of himself- that line was  _ golden. _ 10/10

_ Shiro how are you- are you actually-? _

**Yeah. Yeah, buddy. I don’t have time to explain how; just know that we’re coming. Don’t do anything dangerous, okay-**

**Don’t do anything I would do, Lance,** Keith interrupted, sounding near-panic. Lance had never heard him like that before. **We’re coming! We’re coming, just hang on-**

“You will treat me with respect, filthy wretch! You are on a Galran cruiser. Your friends can’t help you. No one is coming for you.”

**That’s not true! Don’t listen to him! We’re coming, just stay safe!**

_ I will. _

“What? Don’t believe me, Paladin? Why, because you hear their voices in your head? Are they telling you I’m wrong?” Lance sucked in a gasp.

What in quiznak?

“Yo-you’re w-wrong. They’re f-fi-fine.” Lance’s head was starting to spin, nausea rolling through his gut. His hands were shaking above his head, pins and needles running through them as his wrists were rubbed raw. Blood trickled down his arms, dripping annoyingly on his head. 

Ugh, that was going to be  _ murder _ to clean.

**Bigger fish, Sharpshooter,** Keith reminded him.

_ Yeah, _ Lance agreed.  _ Why does he know about you guys?! _

**I… I don’t know,** Shiro admitted.

Awesome.

“You know that it’s not them, right?” Lance stiffened, and Batman hummed with devious interest.

“Haggar really outdid herself this time, didn’t she?” one of the other guards noted blithely from the doorway. Well, Lance was guessing- he couldn’t really tell.

_ Haggar?! _

Lance licked his lips. “What are you saying?”

**Lance,** **_no_ ** **\- this isn’t a trick! Don’t listen to him!**

“Your team isn’t coming for you. We left their corpses rotting in that mess of rubble when you killed them a movement ago.”

_ What. _

_ He’d… he’d  _ what _?! _

Lance had a sudden, horrifying image of a blinding light- an explosion?- and pain and screams.

Oh,  _ Dios _ had he blown up his friends?!

**It’s not true, Lance! We’re fine, I promise we’re fine- you** **_saved_ ** **us! It’s only been two quintants since it… since it happened. And now we’re going to save you. Please, believe me,** Keith begged.  **You aren’t alone!**

Lance’s jaw opened reflexively, a pained hum making his throat burn as Batman’s claws dug into his checks, adding to the sticky wetness dripping down his face and puddling in his clavicle. 

**Lance, we’re coming! I promise you we’re coming! I’ve almost got your coordinates!** Pidge’s voice filled Lance’s head.

“Do you still hear them, Paladin?” Batman asked. “Do their empty reassurances help you?” He released his grip on Lance’s face, and the Paladin gasped quietly at the freedom. “They can’t help you because _they aren’t real_.” There was a pause. New footsteps entered the room (there wasn’t any sound of a door opening- was he really that little of a threat that they didn’t need to bother closing the door to his cell?). They were clinical and light, perfectly in rhythm as they came to a neat halt. 

“You sent for me, sir?” a younger Galran voice asked. Must be a new recruit. 

“Yes. Tell the witch to quit her games. It’s time we brought the prisoner to her. It’s time he saw sense.” 

“Right away, sir.”

There was the sound of a communicator activating, then Galran gibberish. Lance panicked.

_ Guys. Guys? Guys what’s going on?! _

No one answered.

_ Don’t leave me. _

*******

**_Three Quintants Ago_ **

**_Lance_ **

“We picked up a distress signal in the upper quadrant of Blevintus Prime,” Allura explained, hands moving through the star charts with practiced ease until she located the system she was looking for. 

It looked like… like a space system. Lance didn’t know. There were stars and large round planets and a striking and lovely meteor belt. Very fashionable. Much wow.

It wasn’t like Lance wasn’t excited to explore a new planet and save more lives from the Galran empire… he just… was sort of in a funk today. He’d been up all night going through all the photos he had on his phone, wallowing in his homesickness and reminiscing about his family.

He missed them. 

But it wasn’t like he could really share it- what right did he have? Shiro and Keith never spoke of their families. Lance had a sneaking suspicion that they were all the other had. Shiro mentioned a guy named Adam (his boyfriend, oh-ho?), but no one else. Lance wasn’t going to flaunt his family in front of them, no sir. Hunk had left a family just as close, if not more so, than Lance’s The guy had to be a wreck; no way could Lance dump this on him. Allura and Coran had lost their entire  _ planet _ . What was he going to say to them? “Oh no, I’m really sad about my  _ living family _ . Any thoughts on your end?” Yeah right.

And Pidge… Pidge didn’t even know if her family was  _ alive _ . She’d come to space to  _ find them _ , for quiznak’s sake! He couldn’t do that to her- it wasn’t fair.

So, he wallowed instead for the night. 

It wasn’t healthy, but really, none of this was. They were in  _ space _ \- Lance had seen the documentaries on how dangerous space was for humans. He knew how risky them being out here was, especially for as long as they had been. 

And that was disregarding the ugly purple furry disasters they fought every quintant. 

Lance figured his coping mechanisms were the least of his worries.

“Alright team,” Shiro said, pulling Lance back into the conversation. “Here’s the plan: Lance, Hunk, you two will be in charge of keeping the skies clear with the Castle. Pidge, Keith, and I will go planetside to infiltrate the base and take it down. Are we clear?”

“Sir yes sir!” Lance said, knowing that he sounded overly-chipper, but also knowing that the others wouldn’t think twice about it. Enthusiasm was his thing. 

He pointedly avoided Hunk’s probing gaze. He’d be fine in a few varga. A mission would do him good. 

It would all be fine.

  
  


***

So Lance maybe spoke too soon.

The Galra knew they were coming: it was an ambush. 

And they walked right into it. 

Shiro, Keith, and Pidge were pinned on the planet, barely keeping ahead of the seemingly endless waves of soldiers that poured from the base. They were tiring quickly, Lance knew. But he and Hunk couldn’t do anything to help- several Galran cruisers appeared out of  _ nowhere _ and were giving the duo a hell of a run for their money. Fighter jets poured out in waves, keeping Lance and Hunk from getting close to the cruisers. Lance grunted as Blue took a hit to her side.

_ You ok?! _

**_Lion is fine, My Paladin._ **

_ Good. Let’s go, Gorgeous. _

“ _ Guys! _ ” Hunk called out, “ _ We need a new plan! _ ”

“ _ We’re working on one right now, Paladins! _ ” Coran assured frantically. 

“Can’t we just wormhole out of here?” Lance yelped, barely dodging an ion blast. “These things have ions- if Hunk or I get hit we’re done for!”

“ _ There’s no way to get everyone up here and away from the Galra to prevent them from following us _ ,” Allura explained. Lance frowned worriedly at the strain of her voice. The Castleship was taking too much damage. 

“Hunk, buddy, how you doing over there?” Lance asked, opening a separate channel.

“ _ Yellow’s taking heavy fire. _ ”

“Fall back,” Lance said firmly. “ The Castle is taking more hits than Allura and Coran are letting on.”

“ _ You noticed that too? _ ” Hunk mused. “ _ But what about you and Blue? _ ”

“Blue is faster than Yellow- we’ll be of more use out in the thick of things. Plus, if things go south on the planet, the others will need backup and we can’t leave the castle undefended.”

“ _ You got it _ ,” Hunk confirmed. “ _ Be careful, Lance. _ ”

“Always am.”

Lance reopened his comms, hearing the audible click when Hunk did the same. “ _ Allura, Coran _ ,” Hunk called, “ _ I’m coming your way _ .”

“ _ What- why? _ ” Coran chirped, going for nonchalance and failing epically. “ _ We’re fine over here. _ ”

“Coran, you know that you’re a horrible liar. Accept the help and stay in one piece,” Lance said fondly. 

_ “Lance, are you okay on your own up there? I’m not sure you and Hunk should be splitting up _ ,” Shiro said, concern breaking through his Leader Voice™. Lance huffed a laugh.

“Don’t really have much of a choice here, bossman. But yeah, I’ll be f- _ shit! _ ” Lance yanked down on Blue’s controls, going into a nosedive to avoid the wide ion beam that barely grazed Blue’s side.

Six voices screamed his name. Lance needed a breath before responding.

“I’m fine! Sorry about that!”

“ _ What happened?! _ ” Keith growled.

“Miscalculated move,” Lance lied. Pidge wasn’t buying it.

“ _ Like hell it was! _ ” she refuted.

“Pidge,” Lance urged, “leave it. I’m fine. Focus on getting to the base and taking it down.”

“ _ Lance is right _ ,” Shiro asserted, preventing any arguments from breaking out. “ _ Lance, be careful. Don’t do anything dangerous _ .”

“ _ Or stupid, _ ” Keith muttered, obviously grumpy about being brushed off after expressing concern. Lance felt a twinge of guilt at how dismissive he’d been. He would have to apologize once they all got back to the Castle.

“ _ We can do this, team! _ ”

***

“ _ Shiro, what’s your status? _ ” Allura asked worriedly. Lance growled, firing a blast at one of the cruisers. These were a tougher branch of cruisers than Lance was used to: none of the usual attacks were capable of downing one. He’d had to get a bit more reckless, swooping in and swiping Blue’s jaw blade across the side of a cruiser before pivoting on a dime to freeze a nearby one and then getting the hell out of dodge. A trail of fighter pilots always followed behind, no matter how many Blue eliminated with her tail laser.

It wasn’t smart, he knew that. Even with the protection Blue gave him, Lance was taking a beating. He turned his comms off, still making sure that he could hear the others because he wasn’t  _ stupid _ , thank you very much. He just didn’t want them worrying about the noises he made when he was tossed around the cockpit, or when Blue took a hard blast.

“  _ We should be done and in our Lions in under ten doboshes, _ ” Pidge reported. 

“ _ What happened to Shiro? _ ” Hunk asked cheekily. Pidge huffed a laugh.

“ _ He and Keith will be done soon. _ ”

“ _ Make some friends? _ ”

“ _ As only they can. _ ”

Lance chuckled, knowing that they couldn’t hear him, but taking comfort in the action no less.

Things weren’t going well. 

The fight may have been slowing down on the planet, but the Galra were redoubling their efforts, and Lance was running out of steam. Fighters flew around Lance, ramming into him kamikaze style, and throwing the Blue Lion off-balance to leave her open for the cruisers to take advantage of. From what he could tell, the Castle was out of danger with Hunk there. 

Now that he thought about it, the only person who was still in peril was himself.

Whoops.

“ _ Lance? _ ” Hunk asked, suddenly realizing that his friend had been quiet for a while. Lance huffed grimly to himself, reaching to turn his comms back on.

Well, he tried to.

Lance took his eyes away from the hostiles all around him for  _ one second _ . One stupid, fatal, moronic, short, infinite,  _ second _ . As if sensing his momentary distraction, the cruisers around Lance fired synchronized shots at the vulnerable Lion. Lance was knocked out of his seat, flying up and slamming his helmet into the ceiling of the cockpit. He fell in a heap next to the piloting seat.

“ _ Lance! What’s your status? _ ” Shiro called. Lance groaned, hauling himself back into the pilot’s seat.

**_My Paladin!_ ** Blue cried.  **_Incoming!_ **

“Fabulous,” Lance muttered and sent Blue into evasive maneuvers. “Blue, why can’t I turn my comms on?!”

**_Systems damaged! Need time!_ **

“Alright, Gorgeous. Any way you can reach out to your sisters? Let them know that our comms are down?” Lance suggested around gritted teeth. He swerved to the left, an ion blast skimming Blue’s right side and throwing her through space into heavy laser spray from a second cruiser nearby. Lance growled as Blue was pelted with the quick blasts, throwing her below and away.

“ _ Lance’s comms are down! _ ” Shiro reported.  _ “The Blue Lion just told Black. _ ” That news didn’t have the comforting effect Lance had been going for.

“ _ Does anyone have eyes on Lance?! _ ” Keith yelled breathlessly. Lance hoped with all his being that Pidge’s ten dobosh timeline was correct. It had been seven, by his count.

Awesome. 

The sooner they got their butts up here and to the Castle, the sooner Lance could get his butt to the Castle and/or get some help with this mess he’s found himself in.

“ _ No! I lost sight of him a few ticks ago! _ ” Hunk panicked. “ _ He disappeared when the reinforcements came in-” _

“ _ What reinforcements? _ ” Pidge shrilled. “ _ How many cruisers are you dealing with up there?!” _

_ “Uhhh… I can see like five,”  _ Hunk estimated. Lance scoffed. There were at least  _ twelve _ cruisers; these guys didn’t mess around. Lance hadn’t even realized that they  _ had _ this many cruisers to dispatch.  _ “Lance, buddy, please tell me that you aren’t in there right now!” _

In there?

Lance spun Blue around, firing an icy blast and taking out seven of the fight pilots tailing them. On all sides, he could only see purple. He groaned when a tractor beam latched around Blue.

_ Oh, Dios- I’m being beamed up! _ he thought half-hysterically.

Wrong.

A second tractor beam made its presence known as the Blue lion shook, Lance grimacing in pain with it.

A third joined.

A fourth, then a fifth.

They were boxing him in, holding Blue fast with the tractor beams that made her joints quake and creak. They were going to pull her apart- and there was nothing Lance could do trapped as he was. “ _ In there” _ indeed.

Whoops.

This wasn’t an ambush; this was an execution. They designed this whole scenario so that they could separate the Paladins from one another. All of Voltron knew they were best when they were together- that was kind of their entire team dynamic. They relied on one another, protected one another.

The Galra knew this. How could they not with all of the battles they’d lost to a united team Voltron? So they’d crafted this entire scheme to get the Paladins at their lowest. 

The worst part was that it was working. 

Lance frantically slammed his hand against the comms button on his dashboard. “Blue, where are you with the comms?!” he shrieked, simultaneously spiraling in place, unable to do anything but fire desperately at ships holding him like an egg in an Egg Drop Contest.

**_It’s not working, My Paladin!_ **

“Keep trying!” Lance racked his brain, trying to think of some other way to get to his friends. He couldn’t leave them like this- they needed to know, dammit- 

_ The Paladin bond! _

What if Lance could tap into that?! What if he could warn them of the Galran’s plan without needing his comms??

Please please please  _ please please please-  _ Lance put all his focus into the single word, even as he tried to get out of the ring of Galran cruisers he’d found himself in. It didn’t work- he was pinned, barely able to keep ahead of all of the fighter jets milling about. They continued to rain down their wrath upon him, prone as he was.

Cheating bastards.

Time for some cheating of his own. Lance slowed his breathing, cognizant of the chaos around him, but unable to do anything about it at this time. This was their only chance. If Lance couldn’t reach them, then it would all be over.

What was it that Shiro was always tossing at Keith?

Slowness means success?

Rations are bogus?

Poodles yeet frogs?

Uh.

Oh!

_ Patience yields focus! _

Alright, focus then. 

Fffffoooocussss.

Wait. Wasn’t he supposed to wait for the focus to come to him?

Whatever. This worked just fine.

Deep breaths.

You can do this. 

Your team needs you.

_ Please reach them. _

Think of them. Think of Shiro’s strength. Think of Keith’s passion. Think of Pidge’s resourcefulness. Think of Hunk’s loyalty. Think of your team. Think of how much you need them to hear you. Open your mind to theirs, like Coran and Shiro and Allura taught you.

_ Shiro. Keith. Pidge. Hunk. Please. Please hear me. Save them. _

Nothing.

_ Shiro. Keith. Pidge. Hunk.  _

Come on...

_ Please please please reach them please hear me guys I’m begging you- _

_ “Do you-” _ Shiro gasped suddenly. Lance’s eyes widened. They heard him. 

_ “What?!” _ Keith roared, the sound of battle heavy in his ears. They’d sent another wave of soldiers. 

They were going to force his team apart.

_ Please please please please TRAP it’s a trap get to your lions  _ now _ please please please- _

_ “No, wait _ ,” Pidge interrupted. “ _ I feel it too.” _

_ Please please please get out run away get out NOW _ GET OUT  _ PLEASE- _

_ “Lance? _ ” Hunk breathed. 

_ They wanted this to happen- get away it’s too late get away- _ It had dawned on Lance that there was no way for the others to reach him. He was on his own.

_ “We’re not leaving you, Lance!” _ Shiro said fiercely. “ _ Just hold on buddy. Hold on- we’re coming. _ ”

_ -there’s no time please  _ GO _ get away- _

_ “We’re almost to the Lions!”  _ Keith hollered. “ _ Does anyone have eyes on Lance?!” _

_ Don’t worry about me get out now please get out retreat run hurry please please please please- _

_ “You don’t get to make that kind of decision, asshat! _ ” Pidge hissed.  _ “We’re coming! _ ”

_ No, no they  _ want _ that please they’ll get you stay away I’ll be fine- _

Lance was thrown out of his seat, his helmet flying off as his chin collided with the dashboard in front of him. White flecked his vision, at war with the dark spots he’d been trying to blink back. Something warm dripped down his face from his nose, but Lance didn’t recall breaking his nose.

Must be from the exertion then. 

Good to know.

“ _ We’re coming, Lance, end of discussion,”  _ Shiro growled. The others confirmed.

_ Please don’t _

“ _ Why not?”  _ Keith snapped.

_ I can’t lose you all please leave me and be safe I’ll be fine please- _

“ _ Lance, we are a team! _ ” Hunk said tearfully.  _ “I’m coming to get you now! _ ”

No, no Hunk couldn’t do that. He was the closest one- the Galra would have a field day with the Yellow Lion. He wouldn’t have any backup-  _ no no no Hunk no I’m begging you- _

_ “As much as I hate to admit it, _ ” Allura said heavily and Lance could have  _ kissed _ her for her Altean Royalty Practicality™,  _ “you shouldn’t go in with no backup. The others will be there soon. Lance, stay alive until we can get to you _ .”

“ _ We can’t just leave him there-” _ Pidge protested angrily. Lance interrupted.

_ I’ll be fine please be safe thank you I love you all stay safe- _

“ _ Lance what are you doing?! _ ” Hunk questioned nervously.

_ Protect protect protect be safe please forgive me please please please- _

“ _ LANCE!!! _ ”

“Blue! You know what I’m thinking?!” It was stupid. It was dangerous. It probably wouldn’t even work.

But it was all Lance could think of. It was the best chance he could give the others. 

He wasn’t going to pretend that it would end well for him. Maybe it would. He couldn’t find the excess worry to care.

**_No, My Paladin! It’s too dangerous!_ **

“The others are going to be here any tick! They’ll be killed!”

**My Paladin** **_will be killed!_ **

“Blue,  _ please! _ If we wait any longer, you’ll be pulled apart by these tractor beams and I’ll die anyway. Please. Help me save them.”

**_No!_ **

“ _ We’re almost there, Lance! Please just hang on.”  _ Lance winced at the hope in Hunk’s voice. He still didn’t understand. There was no way for them to get to him in time. 

The Galrans were counting on it. They were counting on all of Voltron converging desperately to Lance’s aid, only to be blasted out of existence by an ion blast. _ Why couldn’t they see that?! _

_ Run run please run no danger danger danger RUN don’t come back trust me- _

“Blue we’re out of time!”

**_Don’t!_ **

_ Sorry I’m so sorry please leave don’t turn back it’s a trap I’m sorry- _

“Sorry, gorgeous,” he breathed. “I can’t give you a choice in this.”

Blue roared angrily. 

“ _ What’s going on?! _ ” Keith yelled. “ _ Lance what are you doing?! _ ”

“ _ No,” _ Allura whispered. “ _ Lance,  _ no _! We’re almost there! _ ”

“ _ Don’t give up on us! _ ” Pidge pleaded. “ _ Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t! _ ”

“ _ Hermano, don’t do this! Please, buddy! Let us get to you- don’t make this choice for us!”  _ Hunk sobbed.

And if that didn’t hurt like a  _ puta _ .

_ Sorry sorry sorry sorry please forgive me love love love I love you all love sorry please- _

“ _ Lance  _ please _!”  _ Lance had never heard Shiro like this. He’d never heard  _ any  _ of them like this before now.

He hated it. He knew they’d never forgive him. 

But he knew that he’d rather they lived to hate him than die pointlessly; than die trying to save him.

“Sorry Blue. I’m so sorry.”

_ “I see the cruisers! Lance, we made it! _ ” Pidge cried. 

_ No. _

_ I’m sorry _ .

Lance screamed as he rammed his bayard into the slot in Blue’s control panel. Power surged through him as he forcibly took over Blue’s programming. He hated it. Hated feeling her try to stop him.

“I can save you, Blue! I can save them! I’m sorry!”

**_STOP! It will kill My Paladin!_ **

“Pleas-ARGH!”

_ “LANCE?! _ ”

His comms were back on.

_ Dios, _ they were going to hear this.

“BLUE TURN THOSE COMMS BACK OFF!”

**_NO!_ **

“You’re only going to hurt them!”

**_Don’t care! My Paladin won’t be alone in this!_ **

Lance couldn’t answer as he twisted his bayard, feeling hot, stabbing agony travel through his veins. His vision greyed in the corners as a guttural scream crawled from behind clenched teeth.

_ Dios Dios Dios _ -

The others were screaming, too. They were pleading, begging,  _ sobbing _ Lance’s name as they heard his suffering.

Tears poured down Lance’s face uncontrollably, and he forced himself to stay conscious. He couldn’t be weak now. The universe depended on it. His  _ family _ depended on it. 

He couldn’t fail them.

With a final burst of energy, Lance fired everything Blue had on her. A ring of powerful sonar energy rocked the ships around him, ice spikes piercing any and all nearby fighter pilots still plowing into the Blue Lion. Blue’s tail laser fired at full power, something usually only available after a five dobosh charge up. Now, though, it fired in a long , wide beam, from both the Blue Lion’s tail, and from her jaw with a thrumming, pulsating power that had the entire cockpit shaking. Blue light danced around the cockpit as Lance forced the Lion’s energy to pass through him to the enemies outside.

There was sudden, deafening silence for less than a tick.

“I’m  _ sorry _ ,” Lance sobbed, knowing what was coming. He sent a final wave of love and gratitude over the Paladin Bond- all the love he could possibly throw at his family.

Then Lance’s world exploded in light and pain.

*******

**_Hunk_ **

Everything had gone so wrong.

So, so horribly wrong.

This plan was supposed to be quick, in and out. They were supposed to be back at the castle by now, joking and laughing and celebrating their  _ easy. Victory _ .

Why did this always happen to them- no, not them:  _ Lance _ .

These things always happened to  _ Lance. _ Laughing, cheerful, joking, happy, stalwart, charismatic, buoyant,  _ Lance _ . They all relied on him. They all needed him to remind them how to go on. Without Lance… there was no team. There was no Voltron. 

Why couldn’t Hunk get that through Lance’s thick skull?

It was too late for that now. 

Hunk could barely see the Blue Lion, and it wasn’t just because of the wall of Galran cruisers. Large, fat tears rolled down Hunk’s face as he realized what Lance was apologizing for. It wasn’t for needing rescue. Not this time.

Amid the pleas and apologies, there was  _ love _ and  _ grief _ and  _ clarity _ and, worst of all,  _ resignation _ .

Lance was going to die. He knew it. He was ready to.

Lance knew that the others weren’t going to be able to get to him. Not without getting themselves caught in the crossfire. Lance wasn’t going to let that happen. Not if he thought that he could keep them safe. Not if he could sacrifice himself to save them.

God, Lance, no.

“Hermano, don’t do this! Please, buddy! Let us get to you- don’t make this choice for us! _ ”  _ Lance couldn’t  _ do _ this to them. Please,  _ no _ .

Hunk prayed to every deity he could think of.  _ Don’t let this happen,  _ please _! _

A wave of love and apologies swept through the Paladin Bond once more. Hunk choked on a sob.

“ _ Lance,  _ please _! _ ” Shiro pleaded brokenly. Hunk bit his lip, debating saying a rare “fuck it” and going in for his best friend anyways.

But Lance would never forgive himself if Hunk got hurt. That’s just how Lance was. Hunk couldn’t do that to his  _ hermano.  _ Not now.

Instead, he took out his anger and despair on any and all fighter jets he could find, blasting them to smithereens before the Castle could even think about firing. It was a little selfish on his part- he knew that Coran and Allura had to be falling apart from worry. But he couldn’t find it in him to care. 

Hunk’s heart leapt into his throat at Pidge’s cry of “ _ I see the cruisers! Lance, we made it!” _

_ Finally. Now they could get Lance. _ A relieved smile adorned Hunk’s face as he prepared to leap into action.

They celebrated too soon.

Every shred of hope that had begun to come to life in Hunk’s chest, every bit of joy Hunk could sense from the other occupants of the bond, froze at two very clear thoughts.

_ No. _

_ I’m sorry. _

“What?!” Hunk wailed, panicking when suddenly Lance’s connection went silent. He could feel the others pull back in shock at the spontaneous combustion of their link with Lance.

“ _ What did he just do?! _ ” Keith asked, sounding more panicked than Hunk had ever heard.

“ _ He-”  _ Shiro started quietly.

“ _ Paladins!”  _ Allura interrupted, unable to stop her voice from wavering, “ _ You need to get out of there right now! _ ”

_ “Like hell! _ ” Pidge hissed. Everyone knew she wasn’t actually mad at Allura- there was no missing the thickness to her voice, even through a comms channel. “ _ We need to get Lance out of there before he does something stupid!” _

“Uh, guys?” Hunk asked, horror making his blurry eyes dry. “What is that?”

Bright blue lights were sparking and fizzing in the center of the deadly circle, the Paladins just able to see it from where they’d converged. It grew brighter and higher by the second.

“ _ Is that-?” _ Keith asked in disbelief.

“ _ It’s the Blue Lion,”  _ Allura confirmed gravely. “ _ And it’s only going to get more dangerous if Lance does what I think he is.” _

“What exactly does that mean?”

“ _ It means that you all need to get back. Now. _ ”

*******

**_Keith_ **

Where did Lance get off pulling something like this?! Was that idiot so... so… so  _ idiotic _ that he couldn’t see that he had a family in space? A family that loved and cared about him? A family that would be destroyed if they lost him?!

Rage burned in Keith’s chest, nearly suffocating the panic rising equally as strong.

Nearly.

God it was happening again. He let himself get close to someone, and now they were leaving him  _ by choice _ not again please he couldn’t  _ do _ this again!

Lance had no right to pull this. No right to be this dumb, this… this stupid, this moronic, this…

This  _ selfless. _

Keith knew his thoughts were wrong. He was projecting. He did that when he couldn’t deal with memories or emotions that he’d rather forget.

That’s what Shiro said, anyway. Keith was beginning to wonder if he was right.

Lance was doing this  _ for  _ his family. To keep Keith from losing  _ all _ of them. To keep them all from losing each other.

Keith’s eyes were wet with barely-controlled emotion as wave after wave of pain and apologies and  _ love _ crashed over him.

Lance couldn’t even talk to his family through all this. All the other four Paladins could do was beg him to hold on, to stay with them  _ please _ , Lance _. _

Keith lost all pretense of composure the moment he felt Lance’s resignation harden.

_ No. _

_ I’m sorry _ .

And then he was gone. Keith trembled as horror and worry crashed into him. He gasped at the pain of Lance’s sudden absence.

Fuck no, please no.

“ _ What?!”  _ Hunk sobbed. Keith gripped the controls of the Red Lion as tight as he could, knuckles turning white with his attempts to ground himself.

“What did he just do?!

Shiro sounded more lost, more broken, than Keith had ever heard him before. “ _ He- _ ”

“ _ Paladins! You need to get out of there right now! _ ” Allura sounded so desperate, voice wavering with emotion rarely seen from the princess.

Keith could feel everyone bristle. Pidge beat him to a reply. 

_“Like hell!_ _We need to get Lance out of there before he does something stupid!”_

As though summoned by her words, a sudden bright light blazed between the Galran cruisers where they all knew Lance was. It crackled and jumped like lightning. The familiar blue made Keith’s chest ache with ample hope and despair.

On the one hand, Lance was still there. They hadn’t lost him.

On the other hand,  _ Lance was still in there _ . They were going to lose him if something didn’t change, and fast.

“Uh, guys?” Hunk asked, horror making his blurry eyes dry. “What is that?”

Keith needed someone to confirm his thoughts. To assure him that all wasn’t entirely lost. “Is that-?”

“ _ It’s the Blue Lion,”  _ Allura confirmed. “ _ And it’s only going to get more dangerous if Lance does what I think he is.” _

“ _ What exactly does that mean? _ ” Hunk asked.

“ _ It means that you all need to get back. Now. _ ”

“We don’t have time for this, Allura!” Keith cried, knowing that she was right, but also unable to stop himself. Lance was  _ in there _ .

“ _ Do you think I enjoy giving this order?! _ ” she snapped back wetly. “ _ You need to get out of there  _ now _ before you’re caught in the… in the attack. _ ”

There was a second of silence filled by a heavy sniff from Hunk.

“ _ \- save you, Blue! I can save them! I’m sorry! _ ” No one dared to even  _ breathe _ when the panicked voice suddenly came back online.

It was Lance.

He was okay.

He wasn’t alone.

A tear spilled down Keith’s cheek. 

“ _ Pleas-ARGH! _ ” Another one fell, this one bitter and salty with terror and anger.

_ “LANCE?! _ ” everyone cried. He didn’t respond. 

The light was getting brighter.

“ _ BLUE TURN THOSE COMMS BACK OFF! _ ”

“ _ Don’t you dare! _ ” Pidge threatened. Luckily, the Blue Lion seemed to have a similar train of thought.

“ _ You’re only going to hurt them! _ ” There was no thought to himself. This stupid, wonderful, sacrificial asshole.

If he died Keith was going to kill him.

How dare he pull this shit.

“Don’t even think about it, Lance!” Keith growled, wiping away a third- now purely angry- tear. “You don’t get to leave like this!”

There was the sound of a control switching. Keith realized with a start that it was Lance’s bayard in the Blue Paladin’s control panel.

What was he doing?!

_ “Lance! _ ” Allura screamed, not sounding anything like her normal, composed self. “ _ Stop! We can find another way, please! This will kill you! _ ”

“ _ Allura, what is going on?! _ ” Shiro inquired heatedly. He wasn’t angry. They knew that. He was scared. He was  _ terrified _ \- they all were.

“ _ The Blue Lion is fighting him- she knows what is going on, _ ” Allura began quickly. “ _ He’s acting as a conduit- he’s going to destroy himself in the process! _ ”

*******

**_Pidge_ **

No no no no no

Not again. 

She couldn’t do this again.

She couldn’t lose another brother.

Not again not again not again _not again_ _think Katie dammit what’s the point of being the team genius if you can’t even keep your goddamn family safe?!_

She couldn’t think of anything. There was no way to get to Lance. Not without putting him in more danger, or getting the rest of the team killed in the process.

She couldn’t save him.

She couldn’t save Lance.

Couldn’t save Matt.

Couldn’t save her father.

Couldn’t save  _ anybody _ .

Angry tears hit her legs as she fought a sob that was crawling its way up her throat. She couldn’t fall apart not- she had to save Lance. 

_ Come on! Please! Anything- do  _ something _! Fucking- shit- please! Please, don’t do this, Lance! _

All she could do was stare in shock as the bright blue energy, as  _ Lance _ , got more unstable and more dangerous. Allura said he was acting as a conduit, but didn’t elaborate. Green, tentatively and gravely, explained quietly that Blue didn’t want to try it, so Lance was forcing her hand. He was forcing her essence through himself, harnessing the energy and creating an attack that the Galran cruisers wouldn’t be able to block or survive.

Pidge didn’t miss the unspoken fact that Lance wouldn’t be able to either.

At least his comms were on. At least Lance couldn’t take this all on his own. He had to let his friends be with him. He couldn’t hide this one.

Pidge wasn’t going to let him.

Her friends, the rest of her family, were pleading with Lance to  _ stop please stop. _

No one said what they all knew:  _ it was already too late _ .

_ Green how long does he have? _

**_Don’t know. Not long._ **

_ Tell me that there’s a way to get to him _ .

Green didn’t answer.

“ _ There has to be another way! _ ” Keith begged. Pidge was going to echo the sentiments- maybe one of the others had an idea.

But that’s when Lance started screaming.

Pidge screamed with him.

Allura cried  _ “SHIELDS UP, PALADINS! GET AWAY! _ ” 

Pidge finally saw why.

A massive sonic wave thundered from within the execution ring Lance was trapped in. It fired through the Galrun cruisers, hitting the desperate observers and sending them tumbling through space for the briefest dobosh before they got their collective bearings. 

“What-” Pidge gasped.

A second wave poured out. Lance  _ roared _ in agony with it. This one was different. The sonic wave was impossibly stronger, carrying with it devastating ice shards that skewered the width of every Galran cruiser surrounding the Blue Paladin. The Lions, wiser this time, managed to ride out the sonic wave, not needing to dodge any of the ice now embedded in the hostile ships. There was light pulsing angrily, cutting through the ring with a power none of the Lions had ever been capable of.

_ “EVASIVE MANEUVERS! _ ” Shiro commanded, the others reacting just before the laser beam came their way.

All that came through the comms was Lance’s gasping breaths. Pidge, eyes wide, didn’t dare breathe.

Was it done?

Was he safe?

She fought a relieved grin as the rest of her team seemed to have similar thoughts, surging forward as a unit to get their brother.

_ “I’m  _ sorry _ ,”  _ Lance sobbed quietly.

A wave of love and gratitude and  _ Lance _ was their only warning before everything went to shit.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the fact that this took me longer to put this chapter into this silly website than it did to edit it is a testament to the fact that I am definitely not tech-savvy, contrary to my eighth grade yearbook.
> 
> Just saying.
> 
> We get some lovely team reactions here! Lots of fun! Happy thoughts all around.
> 
> Also Keith has a meltdown and it’s fun.
> 
> I’m not cool enough to have this beta’d. Nor am I cool enough to own anything that might spark that lovely nostalgic fire in your collective hearts<3
> 
> Enjoy!

**_Shiro_ **

Shiro woke up disoriented and bleary. The Black Lion was hurtling through space, slowly coming to a stop as Shiro reflexively pulled back on the controls to steady her.

_ What the- _

_ Ambush. _

_ The trap. _

_ Lance- _

Shiro had to turn around. He needed to get to his team and  _ Lance. _

Lance was back there.

Lance was in that explosion.

Lance  _ was _ that explosion.

_ Oh God. _ Shiro might be sick.

Everything was deathly quiet as Shiro fought to orient himself. All around him were pieces of the destruction Lance had waged against the ring of Galran cruisers. He couldn’t see the other Lions.

But he could hear the soft stirrings in his comms. They were alive, at least.

“ _ How long were we out?” _ Pidge inquired tentatively.

_ “Where’s Lance?!” _ Hunk asked, knowing that that was what was truly on their minds.

“ _ Paladins!” _ Allura came on.  _ “Castle systems went down for ten doboshes- Coran and I were knocked out. What just happened?!” _

_ “Lance… _ ” Keith breathed horror coloring his words. “ _ We need to go back to him.” _

_“We don’t even know where we_ are _, Keith,”_ Pidge snapped. “ _How exactly are we going to find Lance? We could have been_ _sent_ anywhere. _”_

_ “We can’t be that far out- look. That panel… that’s Galran engineering right there,” _ Hunk pointed out. The Castle of Lions converged wordlessly, Shiro leading silently as the others debated and bickered. He knew where they were now. 

Shiro needed to take control of the situation-he was their leader. It was his job.

_ It was also his job to keep them all safe. _

He needed to know how badly he’d failed that.

The Black Paladin grit his teeth and forced Black to come to a stop once more, shakily demanding a sound off from his team. All conversation froze as they realized what Shiro was really asking.

_ “Keith here.”  _ Keith should never sound so small. He and Lance were  _ finally _ getting close, Keith had finally learned that he could open himself up to Lance and not fear being rejected or abandoned. 

_ “Hu-hunk here.”  _ Lance was ( _ is, dammit, is _ ) Hunk’s best friend.

“ _ Pidge… Pidge here. I’m here. _ ” Pidge was too young to lose another brother. Not again.

_ “Allura and Coran here.”  _ Shiro had never heard Allura so shocked, so lost. Coran didn’t say a word, but Shiro could hear a gasping sob over the line. Lance was like a son to Coran, they all knew that. Allura and Lance had developed a warm friendship of their own, the awkward flirting turning into fond banter between them. 

Lance was silent.

“ _ Oh God, _ ” Pidge whispered, realizing what they were headed for.

_ “Fuck, no,  _ please _ no, _ ” Keith pleaded.

_ “Lance! _ ” Hunk sobbed.

Shiro froze, wishing more than anything to wake up from this nightmare. To go back to a different time, a different place; where Lance wasn’t silent and his team wasn’t broken and weeping and  _ lost _ .

  
Where he didn’t have to be the one to make the tough decisions. Where he didn’t have to be the strong one. Because the others relied on him to lead them, to take the brunt of the horror- not that he minded; he’d happily face a thousand years in the arena if it meant keeping them safe- and to support them. He couldn’t get emotional- he had to keep it together.

But that wasn’t going to happen here. He knew the moment Pidge spoke that this was not going to be such a situation.

_ Oh God _ .

A silent tear rolled down Shiro’s face. Every piece of training he had ever received was screaming at him to  _ get a grip, soldier. Get your team out of there! _

But he couldn’t. Not right now. Not like this.

A second tear joined the first, just as quietly. It matched the horrifying lack of sound around him. Shiro was looking out upon an empty wasteland of carnage and destruction and death.

None of the ships had survived the explosion.

The Blue Lion was nowhere to be seen. 

Shiro’s tears fell freely and without notice.

Black was frantically scanning the rubble, looking for anything that could explain where the Blue Lion was. Where  _ Lance  _ was.

She couldn’t find anything.

“Allura?” Shiro asked quietly.

“ _ Castle scanners aren’t picking up the Blue Lion’s signal anywhere in this area. _ ”

“ _ What does that mean?”  _ Hunk sniffled.

“It means that we have a chance,” Shiro answered, thankful that his voice remained steady. “That  _ Lance _ has a chance.”

*******

**_Allura_ **

“Are you sure the Blue Lion isn’t just capable of, like, teleportation?” Hunk asked, nervously wringing his hands. Allura fought a frustrated sigh. It wouldn’t do anything for the situation other than make Hunk feel bad even though it wasn’t even directed at him.

The situation was too emotional to let her emotions get the better of her.

“Unless everything we know about the Lions from over 10,000 decaphoebs of battles and Paladin bonds has changed, then no.” Allura turned to the tired engineer with a strained, if not warm, smile. “But that doesn’t mean that we can’t find another way. After all, we do have the universe’s best right here in the Castle of Lions.” 

“Oh. Yeah! Yeah, you’re right.” Allura cheered silently to herself as Hunk’s entire demeanor brightened ever so slightly.

They wouldn’t be able to do this if they fell apart now. 

And that meant positivity. 

They could do this.

An idea struck suddenly.

“Paladins- go to your lions. Maybe they can sense their sister.”

She was met with four determined nods, eyes still a little too bright but full of love and hope. Allura grinned, absolutely filled with pride and gratitude for these strange aliens who had united to save the universe with her.

Her gut twinged unhappily at the realization of what that mission had meant for their Blue Paladin.

If he had never been called to space, to Voltron, Lance would be at home with that huge family he was always talking about whenever the silence got to be too much with the team, whenever they needed something from home to get them through the dark times. 

“You know that he wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Shiro said quietly, startling Allura out of her thoughts. She jumped slightly, cursing herself for not realizing that Shiro had hung behind to talk to her. Worse yet, that she’d let him read her thoughts so easily.

“Oh, sorry Shiro. I didn’t realize that you were still here.” Allura smoothed her skirt carefully, trying to save face. “What can I do for you?”

“Lance would never blame you, any of us, for the explo- for what happened,” Shiro amended quickly. “He loves this, loves  _ us _ . Else he… else he wouldn’t have done that.” 

“ _ Why? _ ” Allura whispered. “Why did he do that? Why did he… why couldn’t we… I don’t understand, Shiro! How could he leave us! We could have saved him!”

“I don’t either, Allura,” Shiro admitted, voice wavering. “But I trust him. Lance would never go where we couldn’t follow, not if there was another way. There was no way to get to him.” Shiro gently lifted Allura’s chin, thumbing away a tear that Allura hadn’t known was there. “Lance is out there. We’re going to get him back. He’s never given up on us. I know that, I need you to know that too. Believe in him, princess. He’s counting on us to save him now.” 

“Okay,” Allura breathed. “Okay.” 

She couldn’t find the words past  _ okay.  _ Couldn’t find a way to express her gratitude to Shiro. Couldn’t find a way to explain  _ anything _ .

Luckily, Shiro could.

Strong arms wrapped around Allura, grounding her, securing her, letting her know that  _ he understood. _ She clutched back just as tightly, melting into the embrace that was  _ so  _ like her father’s. 

“ _ Thank you, Shiro, _ ” she whispered into his shoulder.

“We’re a team, Princess,” Shiro smiled into her hair. “You don’t have to go through this alone.”

Allura pulled back so she could look Shiro in the eyes, then nodded once.

“ _ Hey! Not that I’m not thrilled someone finally told Allura to quit blaming herself for literally everything even though she’s awesome and all that,”  _ Pidge’s voice shrilled out on the castle intercom. Allura and Shiro jumped, chuckling quietly. “ _ But don’t we have a, though lovable, idiot Blue Paladin to save?” _

Shiro looked at Allura, a silent question in his gaze. She nodded firmly, giving him a confident smile that she was pleased to find wasn’t faked.

Shiro mirrored the action in agreement.

“Yes, we do, Pidge. I’m on my way.”

*******

**Shortly Before Present**

**_Pidge_ **

Pidge had never felt relief like that of when they figured out that Lance was still alive. 

None of the Lions had been able to find their sister. None of the Paladins were able to reach Lance. 

When the Lions hadn’t been able to find anything, the Paladins had decided to meet in the main hangar with their lions, bringing the Bonding Headbands with them. From there, they’d sat in a circle between their Lions, focusing together on the missing space in their minds. They had worked for over three vargas before Keith stormed out, all of them pretending that they couldn’t see the angry tears in his eyes.

It was Hunk who stayed after all the others had left to try other options: Shiro and Allura left to contact their allies and beg for help, Keith left in Red to search the system- maybe Lance had been sucked into another planet’s gravitational field and fallen to its surface- while Pidge worked on Green near Hunk, not wanting to leave her friend alone. She’d been hoping to find some way to open a channel to Blue, maybe find a different way to connect to/track the sentient ships.

Hunk sat, cross-legged, eyes shut and brow knitted closed in concentration. Pidge didn’t miss the stray tears that slipped down his face, the way he bit his lip, focused and desperate. As time stretched on, Hunk’s hands began to shake ever so slightly, and Pidge paused from her work, looking over at him worriedly and debating making him stop for the night. He was only going to make himself sick if he kept going like this.

It took her five doboshes to come to a decision. By the time she had, Hunk’s eyes had shot open and the Yellow Paladin had already leapt to his feet, a thrilled, though teary, smile brightening the entire hanger.

“ _ He’s alive,” _ he’d sobbed. Pidge had laughed, suddenly feeling light-headed.

“He’s alive.”

***

That was two quintants ago.

Two.  _ Mother fucking. _ Quintants.

The hadn’t been able to find anything since. No leads, no rubble, no information,  _ nothing _

Pidge was going out of her mind.

She and Hunk had sat down, trying to figure out how to find Lance through the Yellow and Blue Lion. They were able to figure out how Hunk was able to know that Lance was alive, and Pidge thought that it was fascinatingly adorable. 

See, the Lions of Voltron were incredibly close with one another- they were sisters. Cool. Awesome. Makes sense.

What was cool was that despite the Yellow Lion not being able to reach Blue through their bond, the Yellow Lion  _ could _ do it through Hunk and Lance’s bond, and then the ridiculously strong bond between Lance and Blue. It sort of worked like a circuit, Pidge thought. Or a… a conduit. A powerline. 

God, she needed more sleep to deal with this shit.

But Lance might not have time for her to sleep.

Anyways, Lance and Hunk were such great BFF’s (something Pidge loved to observe and heckle- because they both loved to say that she was their Space sister and that’s what sisters do), they’d formed their own offshoot in the Paladin mental bond, a sort of shortcut, if you will, made up of their quintessence’s combining (oh yeah that was a thing, apparently. They’d needed Coran for that one) that Yellow was able to hijack and  _ viola! _ Proof of life! 

The only problem was that the Lion’s couldn’t do any more than sense each other- there was no way to establish communication with the Blue Lion. Nor was there a way to access the signal because it needed to be a live connection. The only reason Yellow could reach Blue was because of Lance, and Lance couldn’t communicate with the Yellow Lion. So that was a bust.

So Pidge and Hunk’s new project became solving that dilemma however they could. Coran was confident that they’d be able to establish communication with the Blue Lion if they played their cards right.

But, once again, that was  _ two quintants ago _ .

Where was Lance?

Had he been captured?

Stranded?

Lost?

Injured? ( _ Of course he’s injured, Katie, he caused a fucking explosion to save you all _ )

Alone?

Scared?

What if they couldn’t find him fast enough?

Keith and now Shiro were scouring space in their Lions, Allura guiding them through the cosmos and playing the political side of each planetary search. 

So far they didn’t have anything.

Coran was helping Pidge and Hunk as best as he could, what with his extensive knowledge of lore and all that. It was a great help, really. Pidge hadn’t ever really taken the time to appreciate everything he had in that mustached head of his.

Yellow and the other Lions were still tirelessly working, even Red and Black were working as they soared through space to find their sister and missing Paladin. 

Even with that… nothing.

Coran slammed a book shut pointedly, noting with a fond, though small, smile as Pidge and Hunk jumped, each whipping over in his direction to see what the disturbance was.

“Right, then,” he said briskly. “I think it’s time that we took a, what was it? Mind moment?”

Hunk raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Pidge. “Uh… you mean a brain break?”

“Ah yes! A brain break.”

“Coran,” Pidge sighed, forcing herself to be patient because Coran didn’t deserve her sarcasm, “we can’t take a break. We’re on day three of Lance being… of Lance being gone.”

“Do you know who taught me that phrase?” Coran asked gently, taking the tools from Hunk and Pidge’s idle hands with tact and finality. Both shook their heads despite knowing where this was going.

“It was Lance, wasn’t it?” Hunk asked softly after a moment. Coran nodded, eyes staring deep into the two geniuses with an intensity and care that Pidge knew she couldn’t argue against. Her shoulders sagged in defeat, Hunk’s too.

“Come on then, menfolk,” she said tiredly. “I need a snack.”

“And a nap,” Hunk yawned.

“Snack first.”

*******

**_Keith_ **

Keith stomped out of Red, uncaring of the loud thuds that echoed through her hanger as he and Shiro returned from yet another failed search.

Two whole quintants.

Not a single goddamn lead.

That hadn’t had any news since receiving confirmation that Lance was, in fact, alive. Keith snarled under his breath as he rounded the corner, planning on going to his room and then the training deck until the others decided to let him go back out there. This was so stupid. One measly report that Lance wasn’t dead and suddenly they had to make sure to take care of themselves before Lance?! Not that he wasn’t thrilled that Lance was alive, honestly he hadn’t felt so relieved  _ ever,  _ at least not since he found Shiro that fateful night, but one would think that fucking  _ Voltron  _ would be able to do better than a confirmation of life.

They needed to do more.  _ Lance _ needed them to do more.

A small part of Keith’s mind reminded him that Lance would never forgive himself if the others let their sleep schedules fall apart over him.

Well, the rest him responded, fuck that. Lance wasn’t here and it was  _ their fucking faults _ so he would just have to deal.

Keith slammed his hand on the panel next to his bedroom door, brushing inside and not bothering to activate the lights. He wouldn’t be here long.

“ _ Keith!” _ Shiro called over the comms in Keith’s helmet. 

“What.” Keith didn’t pose it as a question. Shiro didn’t rise to the bait, noble bastard. 

“ _ Don’t forget to get some rest and food- you did well out there today. I know… I know that it didn’t go as hoped, but we’ll find him. I know we will.” _

Keith didn’t answer him, instead ripping his helmet off and chucking it across the room. It hit the wall and fell with a satisfying clatter. He grinned humorlessly, ripping the rest of his armor off and dumping it on his bed. 

As if he was going to be able to get any sleep.

Hilarious, Shiro, truly.

Keith grabbed his clothing, slipping out of the black under-suit and changing quicking. He didn’t like to train in the bulky armor- not when he needed to vent.

Stalking over to a cabinet near his bed, Keith pulled out an Altean energy bar because he wasn’t  _ stupid _ , thank you very much. He wasn’t going to search for Lance with no energy- that would do Lance even less good than the team was already doing him right now.

He would have to avoid the others until they got Lance back. He’d make Hunk cry with the way he was right now. Pidge and Allura would probably deck him (one of them would probably have more success, but both were equally terrifying in their own right). Coran would give him the patented “Uncle Stare™“ that Keith couldn’t  _ stand _ , and Shiro would sigh and cross his arms and no way was Keith bringing that down upon himself again. Lance would snark him right back and in the next breath find a way to smooth over everyone’s feathers, even Keith’s, which was ridiculously endearing and a buzz kill because how was Keith supposed to be mad when Lance did that and  _ oh wait guess who wasn’t here to play couple’s therapist between the resident emo and the rest of this fucked up family??? _

Yeah.

Best to go and fester alone.

And stab things. 

Yeah.

Stabbing was good.

Keith wandered out of his room, speeding down the hall to avoid anyone being subject to his anger. And to avoid his thoughts. Like about how  _ Lance is probably so scared right now _ -

Nope. Stab time. Stabbing things was the important thing. Stabbing would help.

Staaaaab.

_ What if he thought none of them were coming? _

Stabstabstabstab. 

Stabbity stabbity.

_ Lance would force Keith to take a moment and eat something besides this gross Altean energy bar. _

Stib stab; stay mad, not sad.

_ Is Lance safe? _

Stabbing is important. Oh, look, the training deck. Time to stab.

Keith stepped onto the training deck with a briskness he didn’t feel, shedding his jacket in the corner without ceremony. 

“Training Level stab- uh, I mean six!”

_ Lance would be laughing his ass off if he heard that. _

A training bot fell from the ceiling, and Keith jumped back to avoid it. He grabbed his Marmoran blade, summoning its full length and falling into a defensive stance. 

Stab time.

_ Remember how excited Lance was when he reached level six on his own, and before both Hunk and Pidge? _

The robot lunged forward, sword coming down with a strength that jarred Keith’s arms when he reached up to block it. He grinned. That was all he needed.

Stab. 

Slash. 

Dodge. 

_ Was Lance having to fight right now? _

Parry.

Crouch.

Lunge.

Breathe.

Block.

_ Why were his last words an apology? _

Kick.

Push.

“ _ I’m  _ sorry. _ ” _

Stab.

Uppercut.

Boom.

“Training Level Seven!”

A new robot fell. Keith didn’t give it time to attack first.

_ What reason did that asshole have to be sorry?! _

Stab.

Block.

Ow. Shoulder.

Slash.

_ “I’m  _ sorry. _ ” _

Boom.

“Level Eight!”

Attack.

Dodge.

_ Was Lance apologizing right now? Did he still think that he needed to apologize? _

A cut to his collarbone.

He needed to be better.

Stab.

Swing.

Block.

If he had been better Lance would be here.

_ “I’m  _ sorry _.” _

_ I’m sorry. _

_ I’m so sorry. _

_ Lance, please be okay. _

_ Lance please we need you. _

Stab.

Block.

A kick to his right thigh.

Pain.

Keith growled, slicing through the bot.

“Level Nine!”

Attack.

Win.

Be better.

“ _ I’m  _ sorry _.” _

_ “I’m  _ sorry _.” _

_ “I’m  _ sorry.”

_ Why? _

_ Why why why? _

_ How could they have messed up this badly? _

Slash.

_ I’m sorry. _

Stab.

Attack.

Dodge.

_ I’m sorry _ .

Stab.

_ I’m sorry. _

Pain.

_ I’m sorry. _

Boom.

**_I’m sorry._ **

“Level… leve-” Keith scrubbed at his eyes, angry with how they blurred and dripped. “ _ FUCK!” _

He was angry. 

So,  _ so _ angry.

Angry with the fact that he was in the training deck when Lance was  _ fuck knows where. _ Angry that Lance felt that he had to  _ apologize _ . Angry that  _ no one _ knew how to find him. Angry that Lance was able to use their fucking Paladin bond to say that he was fucking sorry but couldn’t use it to tell them to save him, to risk it, to fucking show him that they loved him. 

Also, since when could he do that?

Lance literally reached through their fucking subconscious and told them that he was fucking  _ sorry. _

Keith looked up, realizing suddenly that he was on the ground. He scrubbed at his eyes again.

Their subconscious. Lance was able to reach them through the Paladin bond. Up until now, they had been trying to  _ find _ Lance through the Paladin bond. They couldn’t track Lance through it, that much Keith understood from the garbled rambles of their resident geniuses. 

But what if they could  _ talk _ to Lance?

Keith jumped to his feet, anger forgotten, and grabbed his jacket before taking off out of the training deck in a dead sprint. He passed a tired Coran with Pidge and Hunk trailing behind him. 

“Keith? What are you-”

“Grab Shiro. Meet me on the bridge,” Keith interrupted, barely breaking stride to make sure that they understood. 

_ We’re coming, Lance. _

_ We’re coming. _

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts!
> 
> Was Keith too OOC’d (I’ll be honest: I know he’s out of character. But I also live for my favorite brooding bean falling apart over his favorite blue boi so fight me:D)???
> 
> Do I need to quit this and go back to my other fic???
> 
> Will my writing ever flow like it’s supposed to???
> 
> Find out in the next chapter of *Totally Logical Anime Name*!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Peasant out!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I’m back!
> 
> Little less of a wait this time:)
> 
> Now we get to find out what was really happening during that first chapter.
> 
> Buckle up. It only gets darker from here:D
> 
> As always: My beta is my best friend Grammarly, so make sure to send them some love!!! 
> 
> I do not own VLD. I just own the weak humor and dark storyline anyWAYS-
> 
> Enjoy!

**_Shiro_ **

It wasn’t often Shiro found himself being woken up by an entity other than himself.

But there he was, eyes shooting open at the sudden frantic knocking that filled his room. He rolled out of bed, instantly alert and ready for anything. 

Was there an emergency?

A battle?

Was someone hurt?

Was Lance… was Lance okay?

Shiro opened his door, not bothering to put his vest on over his basic gray shirt. It was Pidge, Hunk, and Coran, all three looking mildly concerned and very curious.

“What’s wrong?” Shiro asked. Pidge blinked as though she was still processing the answer.

“I’m not entirely sure,” she admitted. “Keith raced by us on our way to the kitchen, saying to get you and meet him on the bridge.”

“Do we know why?” Shiro took the lead next to Coran as the four trooped to the bridge.

“Not a clue,” Hunk said, Shiro able to hear the shrug in his voice. 

Weird. Last he’d heard from Keith the teen had been going to bed (well, he hoped. They’d encountered a “technical difficulty” and Shiro had chosen to respect his privacy and let him be), but perhaps he hadn’t?

They’d have to discuss that later.

Shiro was pulled from his thoughts by the emergence of Keith from the doors in front of him, eyes wide and more excited than Shiro had seen him in  _ years _ , literally pulling Shiro along onto the bridge. Shiro, out of surprise, reached behind him and grabbed Coran, who grabbed Pidge, who latched onto Hunk.

Their awkward little chain stumbled behind the Red Paladin onto the bridge where an excited and impatient Allura stood with her arms crossed in front of her bracingly.

“What’s going on, Keith?” Shiro asked as he fought to keep his balance when Keith stuttered to a stop. The rest of the Paladin chain filed around to make a neat half-circle.

“Yeah,” Pidge interrupted. “Hunk, Coran, and I need to get back to the Lio-”

“I know how to find Lance,” Keith blurted out. Everyone froze, Shiro included.

“What?” he gasped.

“I, well, I think I do. It’s a theory.”

“Well, I’d say that’s more than we’ve gotten in two quintants. Let’s hear it,” Coran encouraged.

“What was the last thing Lance did?” Keith asked after a moment of trying to articulate his thoughts.

“Exploded.”

“ _ Pidge! _ ”

“What, Hunk? No one else was going to say it!”

“Even so-”

“He apologized,” Shiro stated, looking down.

“How?” Keith prompted. Shiro thought a moment. All he could remember was panic and pleading and that blinding light and Lance’s broken sob and then that wave of  _ love  _ and-

Shiro gasped.

“The Paladin bond.”

“Exactly!” Keith said, rocking on the balls of his feet subconsciously. Pidge’s eyes narrowed.

“We’ve already  _ tried  _ that Keith- it’s how we found out Lance was alive in the first place! And that was through the Yellow and Blue Lion.”

“No, wait,” Hunk stopped her. “We were so focused on  _ finding _ Lance that… It never even dawned on us to think about a different way to use the Paladin bond.”

“Lance was speaking to you through the Paladin bond, wasn’t he?” Allura guessed. All four Paladins nodded mutely. She smiled softly. “Leave it to Lance to find the solution to save himself.”

Shiro turned to Keith with a confident smile. “What did you have in mind?”

“We could use the bonding helmets to connect to Lance the same that he did to us. The helmets amplify our bond, right?” Allura nodded in confirmation. “So, in theory-”

“In theory, we could talk to Lance!” Hunk finished excitedly, rushing forward to scoop the startled Red Paladin in a hug. “Keith, you’re a genius!”

“So you think it’ll work?” Shiro didn’t miss the hope in Keith’s voice as Hunk set him down.

“Theoretically,” Pidge pushed up her glasses with an exhilarated grin, “hell yes it will!”

“Pidge-”

“Don’t tell me you weren’t hoping for an answer as enthusiastic as that, Shiro.”

“...carry on,” he sighed, trying to hide the smile creeping across his face. He failed, but still. He gave himself points for trying.

“What are we waiting for?” Coran asked, practically giddy. “Take your seats, Paladins, while I and Allura retrieve the bonding headsets for you all.”

“Actually,” Pidge raised her hand quietly, “you’ll only need two- one for Shiro and one for Keith.”

“What? You two are his best friends. If anyone is going to do it it’ll be you two-”

“We need to have a plan in the event that Lance doesn’t know where he is either,” Hunk said softly, interrupting Keith with a hand on his shoulder. “We were close to being able to track the Blue Lion through Yellow; we can apply that technology and adapt it. Lance won’t need to risk himself trying to tell us where he is- we can do it for him.”

“A quick thought,” Coran interjected gently from the doorway. “Be gentle with Lance’s mind. Coming on there guns blazing will only confuse and shock him. Roll with his thoughts. Let him come to the conclusion of what is really going on on his own. Support him and be careful.”

“Yeah, yeah okay,” Keith nodded, looking up at Shiro confidently. “Let’s do this.”

***

It took fifteen endless doboshes of breathing exercises before Shiro felt a flicker. His breath hitched, Keith snapping to attention at the slight sound.

“Shiro?” he whispered, anticipation making his words clipped. Shiro’s eyebrows knitted together in concentration. “Did you…?”

The Black Paladin shook his head slightly, not opening his eyes. “Maybe,” he said softly. Externally, he was aware of Pidge and Hunk firing up the tech that they’d finished adapting ten doboshes in. 

Internal awareness was an entirely different story. 

Because that flicker, that hint, had turned into a swirling whirlwind of thought and panic and fear and  _ pain.  _

_ So much pain _ . Shiro grit his teeth at the realization that none of the pain filling his mind was his own. He took some deep breaths, using a meditative technique Allura taught him to separate himself from Lance’s senses, allowing him to understand what Lance was feeling without getting battered by it. The pain was still there, lapping at Shiro’s mental toes, but it no longer could touch Shiro.

Shrio forcibly ignored the guilt building up behind his eyes at the thought of leaving Lance to bear that pain alone. He needed to be fully focused to get Lance back. That was imperative. And he couldn’t do that if he was being blinded by Lance’s agony.

Somehow, that thought wasn’t nearly as comforting as Shiro would have hoped.

“Shiro?!” Hunk called from where he stood with Pidge and Allura.

“I-I’ve got him! Is your tech working?”

“Yeah- it’s locked onto his mental position- we should be able to find him in no time. You need to keep him engaged. Keep him from losing the connection.”

Keith and Shiro shared a quick look of quiet panic. “Hunk, don’t you think that you or Pidge should handle this part? You two are his best friends.”

“Do you not want to do it?” Pidge challenged with a tired smirk. Shiro blanched.

“What- of cour- of course I  _ want _ to! It’s  _ Lance, _ dammit, but-” 

But what if he doesn’t want to talk to Shiro? 

It was a childish fear. Juvenile. Ridiculous. It was  _ Lance _ . Lance, who never could hate a soul. Lance, who gave himself up for them all. Lance, who was God knows  _ where  _ right now. Lance, who was their heart. Lance, who sent that wave of love and apologies to them in what he thought were his final moments. 

Lance, who had been left behind by his teammates.

Lance, who was constantly put down for his laughter that filled the Castle halls when the others couldn’t stand the silence. 

That laughter had been gone for two quintants and it was slowly killing Team Voltron.

Lance, who never came to them for help.

Lance, who never hesitated to offer them his own.

Lance, who never failed them.

Lance, who was all alone out there.

Lance, who probably thought that they had abandoned him.

Lance, who was  _ so scared  _ right now.

Lance, who was in so much pain because his team failed him.

Lance, who had apologized to  _ them,  _ because he’d be damned if he didn’t put his team first.

Shiro’s doubt must have shown on his face ( _ get it together, Takashi) _ because Hunk came over and crouched down in front of his team leader. 

“Shiro. He needs you right now. Pidge and I can’t leave this tech- it will require our full focus to keep it running.”

“But I-”

“Dude, you’re his  _ hero _ . Lance has always looked up to you, even before we all became Voltron. If anyone can pull him out of this, it’s going to be you, Shiro. He’ll need you to be strong for him in a way that Pidge and I never could. Trust yourself like Lance trusts you,” he said softly, placing a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. 

“He’s in so much  _ pain _ , Hunk,” Shiro whispered. “Please hurry.” Hunk’s breath hitched as he nodded, blinking back tears.

“I’ll keep trying, Shiro. Maybe I can help out,” Keith added. Shiro nodded at him before focusing fully on keeping the connection strong. Shiro opened his mind fully to immerse himself in the whirlwind that was Lance’s mind. 

He fought a gasp as suddenly, rather than being an outside listener, Shiro was thrust into Lance’s mind, able to see what Lance saw, hear what Lance heard, etc. It wasn’t really exact, and Shiro could only feel minimized sensations, but it was plenty to help him asses the situation beyond his own terrifying assumptions. He couldn’t figure out what the worst injuries were- only that Lance was injured.

It was terrifyingly familiar to a dark spot in Shiro’s memory, a time that was filled with gaps and holes and confusion and danger.

_ Come on, Lance, hear me. I’m right here, buddy. _

Shiro couldn’t see anything. He could hear Lance’s sudden rapid fire thoughts as the Blue Paladin fought to get control of the situation. 

He was doing  _ so well _ . Shiro’s heart swelled with pride.

From the fleeting thoughts, Lance must have just been aroused from unconsciousness. He quickly raced through his environmental observations, just like he’d been trained. The panic didn’t recede though, not until a fond memory of Coran, furious at Lance and Pidge for leaving out food goo until it spoiled (Shiro fought a smile at the memory of how  _ awful _ it had smelled, how much laughter had filled the castle as Coran-the only one not laughing- chased after the teens, how Pidge had tried to find refuge and in a moment of “panic”- she denied still that she intended to- leaped onto Keith’s back, startling the teen and knocking them both to the floor. Lance had laughed so hard that he burst a blood vessel in his nose from laughing, which gave Coran the win and earned the troublemakers a severe tongue lashing), flashed through Lance’s mind, calming the teen and giving way to sharp and sudden clarity.

Shiro stiffened when that clarity gave rise to his name.

**Focus, McClain. Shiro taught you what to do in a situation like this. Don’t panic, don’t lose focus.**

Shiro stopped breathing.

That was what Shiro told the Paladins when they went over scenario tactics in the event that they were captured. A way to cope, to not lose themselves in the panic that came with it. Shiro had been taught it as an older student at the Garrison, the lesson being taught once more, but more in depth, before he left for the Kerberos mission.

“Oh God,” he whispered. All other chatter stopped around him. “He’s with the Galra.”

“ _ What?” _ Keith hissed. “No- there’s-  _ no _ .”

“‘ _ Don’t panic, don’t lose focus’ _ ,” Shiro quoted hauntedly. He could feel the others horrified stares on him as they processed his words.

“The training you gave us,” Pidge murmured, words devoid of any emotion. “He’s using the capture training.”

“Yeah.” 

Never had Shiro ever been more simultaneously thankful for and disturbed by his paranoia and “passive pessimism” (Adam’s words, not his) than he was in that moment. 

He didn’t have time to mull over all the ways this situation was  _ wrong this was so wrong he was barely  _ seventeen  _ he was too young they all were- _

Now was for Lance. Now was to make sure that Lance was safe.

Shiro realized with a start that Lance could remember almost word for word what Shiro said that day.

He’d known that Lance was more focused during that lesson than in most of their training sessions- there hadn’t been a single joke or quiet laugh the entire time, but he’d listened that closely?

Cold water washed over Shiro as he realized that Lance was fully expecting to have to use this training sooner or later. Of course he was; Lance would always be the first to give himself up for the team- why wouldn’t he be captured for it.

God, had he realized that if he didn’t die that he would be captured?

Had he filed this away, hoping that he would be the one to have to use it instead of his fellow Paladins?

Shiro’s stomach rolled angrily. He reached up, needing to take the headset off and  _ breathe _ because phantoms were flashing in his mind and Lance was reaching, begging for something to hold onto because they’d  _ left him _ to be captured by the Galra-

**What do I do, Shiro?** It was spoken so softly, almost jokingly. Just a fond little question from their favorite Blue Paladin. It was enough, though. It was always enough. Lance always knew how to help his team, even when it was helping them save him. First the Paladin bond, now this. 

Shiro lowered his hands steadily, not a tremor in sight. He could do this. What had Coran said? Roll with his thoughts. Okay, no problem. Shiro knew the questions just as well as Lance did.

_ Take stock.  _

Shiro smiled ever so slightly at the mild surprise that launched through Lance’s mind, chasing the last of the panic away. A passively amused calm took over Lance, and Shiro right with it.

**Okay. Okay, I can do that. Where do I start?**

_ Do you remember how you got here? _ Shiro hoped to goodness that if Lance did remember that it wasn’t too graphic. He didn’t deserve to suffer more than he already had- hopefully Shiro wasn’t about to dredge up some terrible memory.

To his relief, though minor disappointment, Lance couldn’t find anything. For now, he was taking the win that Lance didn’t have that trauma to deal with.

_Do you have your armor?_ **No. I only have the black under-suit.**

_ Can you reach your Lion? _ If Lance could get Blue, he could be in her cockpit and safe from harm before his team locked onto his location and came for him. 

The universe wasn’t that kind, though. What else was new?

_Injuries?_ **Several** ** _._**

_ Can you pinpoint the worst ones? _ Shiro held his breath as Lance fought to comply. It took a moment before he responded  **No.**

Shiro understood.  _ Start small, _ he encouraged gently.  _ Wiggle your toes. _ He winced at Lance’s reply of  **One broken, two jammed.**

Shit.

_Are you wearing your shoes?_ **No. My feet are bare.**

Shiro was ready to move onto the next question when, quiet and with a concerning lack of concern:  **It’s cold.**

Oh no.

_ What about your legs? _ Keep him moving, Shiro, don’t let him dwell. Don’t let him down like this. 

**Uh. They hurt.** Shiro huffed a humorless laugh. 

_ Anything more specific? _ The humor and joy that crossed Lance’s thoughts at the familiar banter breaking through the monotonous drone Shiro had tried to maintain. He wasn’t surprised that it didn’t last long- that was part of Lance’s gift. He brought out the humanity in people; the authenticity.

**No.**

_ Can you see any damage? _ Shiro wasn’t surprised by the negatory answer- He knew that Lance couldn’t see a thing. Still, worth asking.

With that, however, came a twinge of panic and fear that didn’t belong anywhere near Lance.

“Is Lance afraid of the dark?” Shiro asked suddenly. 

“Uh, y-yeah,” Hunk answered, surprised at the spontaneous conversation. “After the haunted castle incident he gets a little jumpy in dark corridors… why?”

“He’s blindfolded.” And okay, yeah, Shiro probably should have put it a little less bluntly, but he was focused solely on Lance and Lance was starting to panic. He needed answers, and he needed them now.

“ _ Fuck, _ ” Keith whispered from the side. Pidge echoed the sentiments. Hunk breathed in and out shakily. Allura and Coran were dead silent.

Nope. No. He couldn’t let that stand. He may be focused on Lance right now but dammit he needed his team to be as okay as possible here. How he’d do that, Shiro had  _ no _ clue. But he needed to do  _ something _ .

“Sorry- are you all okay?” Shiro amended quickly, looking up. “I can-”

“No,” Hunk stopped him firmly with a determined smile. “Take care of Lance. Not us.” Pidge and Keith nodded along, Allura and Coran giving him proud looks. Coran even gave him a thumbs up.

_Stay calm, Lance,_ Shiro soothed before the storm could return to Lance’s mind. _You’re doing great. Can you feel anything on your torso?_ **Ribs are busted. There’s something wrong with my side.**

_ Are you bleeding?  _ **I might be.**

_ Can you reach the wound?  _ **Uh… no. No my hands… I can’t move them. They- they won’t-**

“Shit shit shit!” 

_ Lance? Lance! Lance, stay with me, buddy! _

“What?” The others called, talking over each other in an attempt to understand what’s going on.

“He’s bad, guys. We need to hurry!”

“The algorithm needs more time!” Pidge explained, voice uncharacteristically wobbly. Shiro owed her a huge hug later for being so strong with this.

“Keith, keep going,” Coran encouraged. “Lance may need you both.” He needed to thank Coran for staying so level-headed. Shiro needed that right now. Lance needed it right now.

“Is there a way for me to just join the connection Shiro’s using?” he asked frantically. Shiro made a mental note to thank him for his quick thinking and maturity in acknowledging that he needed help later.

“Actually, yeah!” Hunk said enthusiastically. Shiro didn’t miss the sound of tears in his voice though. He needed to pull Hunk aside later- he needed the Yellow Paladin to let some things off of his chest. Hunk was as bad as Lance when it came to prioritizing others above himself. 

“Pidge and I shall watch the locator,” Allura directed. “Hunk, you Coran and Keith can work on getting Keith into that conversation.” She’s done so much for this war, for this team already. Shiro needed to give her a hug for all she did for them, for all she sacrificed. He needed a group hug, himself. But that could wait.

“Can do, Princess! Shiro,” Coran said kindly, “keep going. You’re doing a great job.”

**I-I-I I don’t thi-think that I can- help-**

It was the quiet help that finally broke Shiro. He knew that he should be more composed at this point but…

But  _ Lance. _

_ Lance! Lance, breathe! _ Something in Shiro’s tone must have gotten through to Lance, because his thoughts focused from the jumbled mess they were just ticks before. Granted, it wasn’t a good thought, but Shiro was taking what he could.

**Run run get away this is wrong no-**

God, it sounded just like before the explosion. Shiro’s heart clenched painfully at the reversion in Lance’s thought process.

_ LANCE!  _ He needed Lance to hear him and he needed him to hear him  _ now _ .

He didn’t get a reaction, but he did get a piece of distracted panic directed his way. There was a distant thought that Lance was sure he was going nuts that might have made Shiro laugh if things weren’t the way they were right now.

What was the breathing technique he’d used in the training session?

Oh yeah.

_ Inhale for four, hold for seven, exhale for eight. Breathe with me, buddy. _

The fact that Lance didn’t bother asking how a voice inside his head was going to breathe was jarring for Shiro. Usually, Lance would have been  _ all over  _ that- he was a fairly detailed oriented teen.

It was a solemn reminder of their situation.

The important thing is that it  _ worked _ , thank goodness.

And just in time, too. Shiro and Lance both winced as a grating scream- metal, Shiro realized- echoed through the small space. Something had moved. A door.

Oh no. 

Shiro could hear a knife being unsheathed- he’d heard it too many times in the arena and from his cellmates to not know it on instinct at this point. He could feel sweat beading on his brow; a knot was beginning to form in the base of his neck from how tense he was holding his shoulders.

Lance’s visitor growled. Shiro growled back, uncaring of the confused sounds his friends made.

“He’s not alone,” Shiro explained simply, knowing that they would rather deal with his intensity in the moment than be left out of the loop when it concerned Lance.

**What-!?**

“ _ Paladin. _ ” The visitor. Shiro hated him already. Lance, being the endearing ray of sunshine that he was, had a brief thought comparing the visitor to Batman.

A little bit of Shiro’s anger and desperation flew away.

It came crashing back in abundance, however, when Lance  _ flinched _ , Shiro able to feel him desperately trying to get a hold of himself. 

**Dios- get it together. You’re a Paladin.**

_You’re doing great, Lance._ Shiro didn’t have time to acknowledge the confusion that flashed across Lance’s mind- Shiro wasn’t going to leave him alone in this.

He was Shiro’s teammate. He’d make  _ damn sure _ that Lance had a friend in this.

_ You’re not alone. Don’t forget that. _

**What the quiznak?** Shiro’s rage softened just a bit. 

Some things never change.

“ _ A-Asshole, _ ” Lance greeted. Shiro had never been prouder of how steady Lance held his voice, pushing through the slight waver. “ _ I’d love to say that it’s nice to see you but, ah, clearly that’s going to be an issue.” _

However proud he was, though, Shiro needed Lance to have some self-preservation  _ just this once _ .

_ Don’t antagonize him. _

Lance ignored his advice in favor of calling him Brain-Shiro before falling back on what he knew: banter.

No sooner had he come to that conclusion, when all thought came screeching to a halt and Shiro had a sudden sensation of something sharp ripping through the skin on Lance’s chin. He couldn’t see it, couldn’t exactly feel it… but he knew it was there. 

“ _ Watch your tongue, Paladin, or you may just lose it.” _

Shiro was going to rip this monster limb from limb the first chance he got.

“Shiro! Shiro, I’m in!” Keith hissed urgently. Shiro nodded, feeling when Keith’s apprehensiveness joined his in the connection. 

Just in time, too. 

**Don’t fuck with the guy with a knife. Got it.**

_ What do you mean? Who has a knife?  _ Keith asked frantically. Shiro echoed the sentiments, filing away how calm, and almost blase Lance sounded about it.

The irony of Keith’s entrance wasn’t lost on Shiro. Nor was it on Lance.

What  _ was _ lost on Lance was why Keith was even there in the first place.

**That’s different** .

_ Don’t worry about it, _ Keith dismissed hurriedly. _ What’s going on? _

**I’ll let you know when I do.**

Well, that was certainly comforting.

_ Fucking shit,  _ Keith muttered. 

Lance laughed at him quietly.

An instant later all three Paladins were struggling to breathe as the visitor punished Lance for not paying him the respect most captives paid him. Only one of them was doing it from pain, though.

Lance  _ screamed _ .

He’d been hurt. Seriously, from the sounds of it. Lance might be theatrical and intense when he wanted to be, but everyone knew by now that Lance never showed true vulnerability unless he had no control.

Shiro had  _ never _ heard him scream from pain. Shock? Sure- they lived with Pidge; what did they expect her to do? Surprise? Yes.

Pain?

Never.

**SHIT! What the- I -** **_FUCK_ ** **-**

_Lance?!_ _Talk to me, buddy!_

Both Shiro and Keith mentally reeled back from the shame and loneliness that swept through Lance.

What?

“ _ Have you learned your lesson? _ ”

Lance shoved everything clogging his thoughts to the side at the Galran’s voice. Shiro and Keith observed mutely, dumbstruck at how quickly he forced himself to come back together. 

“ _ I don’t even know who you _ are _.”  _ Lance’s voice was steady as he fought to even out his breathing. “ _ I don’t know what  _ fuck  _ is going on. I could give a shit about your  _ lessons. _ ” _

“He shoots, he scores,” Keith muttered, worry plain in his voice. They heard through Lance’s ears the angry roar as the Galran reacted to whatever Lance just sent his way. A spitwad, from the sound of it. 

They also heard the muffled grunt from their Blue Paladin as Lance was struck by the purple asshole. 

**Suck it.**

_ Lance, _ Shiro asked desperately, hearing Lance’s wheezing breaths ( **breath, dammit** ) and noting how Lance was getting nauseous from the aftermath of the strike,  _ what is going on?! _

Confusion flitted in between the panic. It dawned on Shiro that Lance still had no idea that they were actually talking. 

He didn’t have time to explain it.  _ Lance  _ didn’t have the time for him to explain it. 

Maybe he didn’t have to...

“Pidge, where are we with that tracker?” Shiro called, making sure to broadcast his words mentally as well.

_ Lance! _

Please understand. Please. You can do this, Lance.

Shiro and Keith both knew the moment Lance was thrust into clarity with a whispered “ _ Holy shit. _ ”

The Galran sounded much too smug for Shiro’s peace of mind when he hissed “ _ Problem, Paladin? _ ”

Why did it sound like he knew more than they thought? Shiro and Keith exchanged a worried glance.

“Shiro…” Keith began uneasily, no doubt having begun to connect the same dots as Shiro, who nodded grimly at him.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

Lance was back to antagonizing the Galran captor, a smug “ _ Yeah. Your breath,”  _ doing wonders for Shiro’s mental health.

**Shiro how are you- are you actually-?**

Shiro didn’t miss the desperation coloring Lance’s thoughts, or the way Lance was frantically trying to suppress. It hurt for a reason he couldn’t quite articulate. It just felt like a failure on his part- did Lance believe that they wouldn’t try to find him? Did he see him hoping for rescue as a weakness?

Either way, it didn’t sit well with the Black Paladin.

_ Yeah. Yeah, buddy. I don’t have time to explain how; just know that we’re coming. Don’t do anything dangerous, okay _ -

_ Don’t do anything I would do, Lance _ .  _ We’re coming! We’re coming, just hang on- _

Shiro hated the worry and panic coloring Keith’s voice, the way this was knocking down his walls left and right. Not that he wasn’t thrilled that Keith was finally opening up, he just wished that it wasn’t for this extreme of a situation.

_ “You will treat me with respect, filthy wretch! _ ” Shiro was going to wring that Galran’s worthless neck. He didn’t even care what the other’s saw him as afterward; didn’t care if that was what Champion would have done- that Galran was going to  _ pay. _ “ _ You are on a Galran cruiser. Your friends can’t help you. No one is coming for you.” _

_ That’s not true! _ Keith cried.  _ Don’t listen to him! We’re coming, just stay safe! _

**I will** **_._ ** It wasn’t that Shiro didn’t trust Lance to believe him, truly. 

But hearing Lance say it made him feel a hell of a lot better. 

“ _ What? Don’t believe me, Paladin? _ ” Again, that know-it-all smugness was back in the Galran’s voice. Shiro’s gut clenched warily. Something was not right there. “ _ Why, because you hear their voices in your head? Are they telling you I’m wrong? _ ”

Shiro forgot how to breathe. Keith choked on a gasp.

“How could he know that?” the younger teen whispered fearfully.

“Know what?” Allura, ever the problem-solver, asked.

“He knows Lance can hear us.” All sound on the bridge ceased.

“There’s no way that he could,” Pidge murmured, locking horrified gazes with the others. “His connection, it’s not hackable. It’s  _ barely _ traceable, and that’s only because we have the helmets and the Paladin bond. There’s no way they could infiltrate it on Lance’s end the same way.”

“ _ Yo-you’re w-wrong. They’re f-fi-fine. _ ” No no no. 

It was all getting to him. Shiro could hear Lance detatchedly noting the sluggishness of his movements, the excruciating discomfort dulling.

They needed to get to him  _ now _ .

There was a passive note of the blood dripping on his head from wrists. Shiro and Keith were both fighting to remain nonchalant.

_ Bigger fish, Sharpshooter.  _

Shiro quirked an eyebrow at Keith, mouthing ‘Bigger fish?’. Keith shrugged with a half-hysterical gleam to his eyes.

Lance went with it.  **Yeah. Why does he know about you guys?!**

_ I… I don’t know. _

**Awesome** . On the bright side, the more they spoke, the more Lance sounded like himself. 

That was the only bright side Shiro could find for this situation.

_ “You know that it’s not them, right?” _ the Galran hummed. 

A new voice joined, casually pompous, from nearby. “ _ Haggar really outdid herself this time, didn’t she? _ ” Shiro couldn’t breathe. 

_ Haggar?! _

“Haggar’s on that ship,” Shiro whispered. The others let out cries of disbelief and the like- Shiro didn’t bother to tune in. He was needed more with Lance.

_ “What are you saying?” _

_ Lance, no- this isn’t a trick! Don’t listen to him! _

_ “Your team isn’t coming for you. We left their corpses rotting in that mess of rubble when you killed them a movement ago.” _

**_What_ ** _. _

Lance’s mind froze at that, Shiro and Keith sucking in shocked breaths with him. 

There was a flash of a memory- the explosion, Shiro realized with horror.

  
They needed to put this nonsense to bed and fast.

Good thing Keith could do fast, because Shiro was having a 404 error.

_ It’s not true, Lance! We’re fine, I promise we’re fine- you saved us! It’s only been two quintants since it… since it happened. And now we’re going to save you. Please, believe me, You aren’t alone! _

Lance made a noise that would haunt Shiro’s nightmares for movements to come.  _ What was that Galran asshole doing?! _

“What’s going on?!” Hunk called worriedly.

“They’re trying to tell Lance that we’re just a trick from Haggar!”

“That’s ridiculous!” Allura argued.

“Well, it’s working!” Keith snapped back.

“Let me try!” Pidge cried suddenly. She raced across the bridge, gently taking Keith’s headset with a hurried “May I?!”

_ Lance, we’re coming! I promise you we’re coming! I’ve almost got your coordinates!  _

“ _ Do you still hear them, Paladin? Do their empty reassurances help you?” _ Shiro bristled at how the gravelly voice mocked Lance, and raged against the shame that filled Lance once again. “ _ They can’t help you because  _ they aren’t real. _ ”  _

Oh,  _ fuck _ no.

New footsteps filled the room- a new soldier. A messenger, if Shiro’s analysis was correct.

“We just need one more dobosh!” Pidge cheered, handing Keith his headset back and jogging back over to where Hunk and Allura stood. “Then we’ll have Lance!”

“Shiro, how are things?”

“Not good.”

_ “You sent for me, sir?” _ Ah. A new recruit then.

_ “Yes,”  _ said the main Galran.  _ “Tell the witch to quit her games. It’s time we brought the prisoner to her. It’s time he saw sense.” _

“Right away sir.”

Shiro fought to stay calm. It had to be a bluff. It  _ had _ to be. 

And yet, the Galra wouldn’t make such a bold statement without having something to back it up.

“Pidge,” he said worriedly, “tell me that you have those coordinates.”

“Five more ticks!” she exclaimed.

_ Lance we’re nearly there! Five more ticks and we’ve got you! _

Lance didn’t respond.

Shiro couldn’t hear anything.

_ Lance?! _

Keith sucked in a panicked breath next to him.  _ Lance? Lance, did you hear that? _

“I got his location!” Pidge cheered, not aware of the sudden disaster unfolding.

_ Lance answer us! _

No reply.

“Guys?” Hunk asked, reading the room worriedly. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“The connection’s down,” Pidge whispered, answering before Shiro or Keith had to. “How did they- the Paladin Bond isn’t hackable! How could they cut it?!”

“Haggar,” Allura responded, eyes steely. “That witch could do it.” 

“What exactly happened?” Coran inquired gently, noting the mounting devastation from the Black and Red Paladins. 

“They told him that we were an illusion. A spell cast from Haggar to toy with him after…” Keith hung his head, not wanting to finish his explanation.

“They told Lance that he killled us in an explosion over a movement ago,” Shiro continued for him.

“ _ Shit _ ,” Pidge hissed. Allura’s fists curled at her sides, shaking with barely contained rage. 

“But he didn’t believe them, right? Because you guys were clearly alive and-”

“They used us,” Keith growled, interrupting Hunk. “I don’t know how, but they knew that we were going to be in communication with Lance and they used that to mess with his head.”

“Maybe Lance was able to figure that out?” Hunk offered weakly.

“Maybe,” Shiro agreed. “But they told him that we were a trick, had a soldier ‘call down’ to Hagger to ‘end’ the trick, and now we can’t speak with Lance.” 

“They won, didn’t they?” Pidge asked. It wasn’t a question any of them needed answering, but Coran did all the same.

“This time, I believe they did.” He looked up, taking in the quiet room around him. “But the longer we sit here considering what they did and didn’t do, Lance is alone with them, now without us to keep him safe from them and their words.”

“Coran’s right,” Shiro asserted with a warm smile towards the Altean. “Everyone, to your Lions. We-”

“Paladins!” Allura interrupted from the main console. “We have an incoming transmission!”

“From who?” Pidge demanded, trying to figure out what could be so important that it couldn’t wait for them to get Lance.

“Haggar.”

*******

**Hunk**

**Present.**

Oh God.

Oh  _ God _ .

_ Oh God ohGodohGodohGodohGodohGod- _

“Hunk!” Pidge whispered harshly. The Yellow Paladin jumped, stomach lurching unhappily. “Stay calm.”

Stay  _ calm _ ?! 

How in the heck was Hunk supposed to  _ stay calm _ ?!

Lance was  _ gone, _ they hadn’t been able to find anything on him for  _ two whole quintants _ , and now that they’d finally found him, he was in the hands of the  _ Galra _ and  _ Haggar _ was calling them now to say  _ God knows what  _ after they’d just  _ lost _ contact with Lance. Hunk hadn’t even gotten the chance to say hi.

What if they were going to torture him on the transmission? Or use them to taunt Lance? 

Worse yet: what if they’d were coming to tell Voltron that they’d killed Lance already?

Oh God.

“This is Princess Allura of Altea on the Castle of Lions.” Allura clasped her hands behind her, Hunk able to see the barely perceptible shaking from where he stood with the others, crowded behind her. “Speak your piece,” she spat.

“Greetings, Princess, Champion, Paladins of Voltron,” Haggar rasped from the holoscreen in front of them. She was in a dark room lit only by a single purple light above her hooded figure. Ominous structures swayed from the ceiling, just barely breaking up the stagnant darkness surrounding the witch. Hunk could only see her haggard smile below her dark hood. He couldn’t decide if that was better than seeing her eyes or not. 

Hunk didn’t like to call her a witch- his mama taught him better than that.

But the way Shiro stiffened and inhaled sharply when she called him “Champion”, and the way Allura clenched her hands ever tighter despite the tremor never lessening had Hunk’s wavering nerves settling and strengthening. 

No one was allowed to scare his favorite space parent duo like that. Especially not Shiro. 

She wasn’t just a witch.

She was a bitch.

Take that, Haggar.

“What do you want?” Pidge snapped before Haggar could finish her dramatic pause. Allura hid a smirk- ever the diplomat. Hunk didn’t bother with such pretenses. He gave her a high-five.

Haggar sneered down from her screen. “I wonder if you all will be so cocky when I tell you all about a certain… lost valuable?”

“What have you done with Lance?” Shiro growled.

“Nothing yet, Champion,” she purred. “You see, he only just woke up a few doboshes ago. You all did  _ quite  _ a number on him, didn’t you? I’ve never seen anything like it- the Blue Lion, floating alone in the middle of a  _ sea  _ of Emperor Zarkon’s forces. It was all too easy to swoop in and take our newest prisoner.

“The only problem was, the Blue Paladin was basically dead when we found him.” Hunk sucked in a harsh breath. “Nothing we tried… though we tried much… made any difference. His quintessence was entirely spent, now, care to tell me how that came to be?”

“None of your business,” Keith snarled, startling Hunk. “Let us see him.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. You see, Paladins, I have a little game to play with you all. I know that you have been trying to find your little friend, and I know that you have spoken with him. You asked me what I want?” her grin turned impossibly more sinister. “I want your Blue Paladin to  _ suffer _ . I want the heart of Voltron so broken that even that adorable friendship you’ve all developed won’t be enough to fix it.

“I’m going to break your friend. And then I’m going to break all of you.”

Pidge growled. “Why bother calling us then? Doesn’t that ruin the element of surprise?”

Haggar hummed thoughtfully, as though toying with playing along with a young child’s wild daydream. “I called you all to thank you for playing right into my hands.”

Everyone froze at that.

“ _ What _ ?” Keith whispered. Hunk worked his jaw, trying to find syllables that didn’t exist. 

“What did you do?” Allura demanded fiercely.

“No, princess, the question is ‘what did  _ you _ do?’,” Haggar taunted. “You see, I planned to use the Blue Paladin for information on Voltron. But, his resolve remained strong through all our…  _ interactions _ while he was at his weakest. I needed something more.”

“They told him that he killed us,” Shiro whispered, face going suddenly pale. “Then they said that we were a trick of his imagination, and then you cut our connection.”

Hunk choked on gasp. “What did you  _ do _ ?!”

Haggar  _ chuckled _ . 

Bitch.

“My Champion is right on all but one account. You see, your Blue Paladin wasn’t told that his team was his imagination, he was told that they were a trick of  _ mine _ . That when the voices stopped, it wasn’t me blocking that fascinating little connection of yours; it was me ending my games with his mind. That doesn’t, however, mean that I can’t still see what’s going on in that pretty little head of his and my-my-my; he really is quite a mess over it.”

“What are you saying?” Pidge asked hauntedly. 

“I’m saying that your precious Blue Paladin thinks you all are dead by his hand.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUN
> 
> Drop your socks and grab your crocs it’s going to get BUMPY on this ride!
> 
> (Btw- to all of you who have already read this after just a half a day- thank you so much for bothering. I really needed the affirmation and you all are absolutely amazing for just clicking on this trainwreck<3 )
> 
> Peasant Out!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I think it’s really funny that the more I read of my work, the worse my grammar/spelling gets.
> 
> If that’s not an accurate depiction of my life in general then I don’t know what is.
> 
> I’m watching the Hobbit now and I keep forgetting about the stupid spiders in Desolation of Smaug.
> 
> It’s a nope from me.
> 
> Djdkfkffkdjsbsndj *shudders*
> 
> ANYWAYS.
> 
> Trigger Warning this chapter for torture and very dark thoughts. Note that Lance is in a very not great place right now. The word suicidal is used, but it is not the center term for where Lance’s head is.
> 
> I don’t write suicide, and I don’t write self-harm.
> 
> Lance is just a self-sacrificing idiot who is Doing His Best.
> 
> I don’t own anything cool.
> 
> Shoutout to Grammarly for sticking with me. Much love.

**Lance**

The voices stopped.

His friends were gone.

Oh  _ Dios _ \- Batman was right.

He’d killed his friends.

_ DiosDiosDiosDiosDiosDiosDiosDiosDiosDios- _

_ Fuck- shit- damn- Lance how could you be so  _ stupid _ \-  _

_ No. _

Shiro and Keith said they were fine.

Shiro and Keith didn’t lie.

They were fine.

_ They were fine. _

But…

Lance couldn’t hear them anymore.

They wouldn’t leave him either.

Not if they were really there. 

It was a trick.

It was all a trick.

A tear slipped down Lance’s face, sneaking out from beneath the blindfold. It was not the only one.

Dimly, he was aware of his body screaming in protest at being moved; his side tearing open further, his nerves buzzing with pain and tension, his bloody wrists causing his bindings to move and wriggle and make the wounds  _ worse _ in a weird, Saw-esque, paradox of  _ ow _ and  _ yeouch. _

It was like earlier when he was talking to Brain-Shiro and Co., only now, everything hurt worse and his  _ inside _ hurt too! Fantastic! Plus, he was completely alone inside his own head! 

Lance was going to die here, wasn’t he?

His tears fell steadier.

He couldn’t do this without his Space Family.

He wasn’t as strong as they were. 

_ Pathetic. _

_ Absolutely pathetic. _

Lance barely registered the change in temperature- why did it get  _ colder _ when they left his cell, jeez guys- as Batman’s goons dragged him by the upper arms, his heels scuffing blithely behind him (technically it was in front of Lance as he was facing his feet- why they were dragging him backward, Lance couldn't figure it out but  _ anyways _ )...

Lance remembered what happened. He remembered what it did. He remembered their screams, their fear, their panic. He remembered what he caused.

He knew they weren’t there.

He knew they were dead.

He knew he’d failed them.

But some small ( _ ridiculous _ , his mind whispered), persistent ( _ pathetic _ ), hopeful ( _ hopeless _ ), part of him wanted desperately to believe that all of this was a trick from the Galran druids. 

What if they were still alive?

What if they were coming?

What if…

What if  _ what _ ? What if Lance had been  _ better _ ? What if Lance hadn’t  _ failed _ them? What if Lance hadn’t allowed himself to be captured? What if Lance hadn’t let the Galra get the  _ Blue Lion _ ? What if Lance wasn’t such a mistake of a Paladin that he hadn’t screwed everything up to hell and back, resulting in the demise of the universe’s last  _ fucking _ defense against the Galra?!

What fucking if indeed. 

Still. Lance kept calling to the others. To his family.

_ Please. Please I’m sorry. Don’t leave me here alone. _

As if he didn’t deserve it.

_ Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me. I can’t do this without you all. _

Forget you; what about the universe, dumbass? Are you so self-centered that you can’t see that you’ve doomed all of existence?!

_ Please. _

“Greetings, Blue Paladin.”

Lance’s thoughts came to a sudden halt.  _ Haggar _ .

He doesn’t trust himself to respond, choosing instead to silently will his body to quit shaking. Paladins didn’t quake like chihuahuas. 

He could at least try and act like a Paladin.

A cold Paladin, yes, but a Paladin nonetheless.

From here on out he was going to blame any shivers on the temperatures they kept this  _ Dios _ forsaken place at.

The blindfold was ripped from Lance’s face and he hissed as his eyes tried to adjust to the dim purple light. He was then dumped unceremoniously to the floor while the two goons that had been previously holding him putzed around with some weird wiggly shapes above Lance’s hea- oh- fuck- wait- no, those were chains.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

Lance discovered a new fact that day: standing on broken/jammed toes  _ sucked _ . 

Hecking fuck.

He really needed to find a new word- his Mama was going to  _ kill  _ him. 

Plus, Pidge would be offended if she had competition for giving Shiro gray hairs that he  _ definitely _ couldn’t afford at 25 via excessive language.

Lance’s eyes widened at the realization that  _ none of that mattered. _

Pidge couldn’t be offended because  _ she was dead you fucking waste of oxygen. _

His dumb eyes watered again, Lance having to forcefully blink them back because  _ how dare you cry for them _ .

Shiro would never have to worry about gray hairs ever again. He would never do  _ anything  _ ever again because he trusted  _ Lance _ to be a Paladin.

Lance’s wrists were secured separately, his arms pulled out and above his head diagonally. He bit back an agonized groan as his chest creaked and shifted with the forceful movement. Lance’s head was beginning to throb as everything that had happened began to catch up with him. Exhaustion pulled at his eyes, making his thoughts more sluggish than his suspected concussion would have made them. His shoulder  _ burned _ , the torn flesh seeping and pulsing with the strain of his arm being manhandled.

His Mama would never see him again.

He fought a sob.

He would never see Marco, or Luiz, or Veronica, or  _ any _ his family, Space or not, ever again.

And it was all his fault.

“What? No reply, Blue Paladin? Nothing to say to me?” Haggar taunted calmly, pacing around the shaking teen. Lance shut his eyes, trying to get his stupid, pathetic nerves under control.

Man up, McClain. 

You made this mess.

This is what happens when you screw up.

Haggar tsked quietly, halting her prowl. “A Paladin of Voltron in my grasp once more. At least my Champion faced me head-on- he didn’t cower. What would your team say- oh! I suppose we’ll never know!” she gasped theatrically before collapsing into rasping cackles that made Lance’s skin crawl.

His eyes widened, tears building into them once more that he couldn’t quite blink away. A traitorous few escaped down his face.

What would his team say?

Lance hung his head, hiding his eyes from the laughing, glowing, yellow ones boasting her victory in front of him.

_ What would his team say? _

Wait. 

Lance’s eyes widened, the Blue Paladin ignoring the sight of his bruised, bleeding, frankly  _ disturbing, _ bare feet in favor of mulling over Haggar’s taunt. It was meant to break him further (because he was broken, let’s be real). It was meant to remind him of his failure.

But maybe, just maybe, it was exactly what Lance needed.

Because right now, Lance really needed his team. He needed their strength. He needed their spunk. Needed their love. Needed their steadiness.

What would his team say?

Shiro would say to keep fighting. He would tell Lance that he believed in him. That Lance was their sharpshooter. That he could do this. He’d say to stay strong.

Allura would remind Lance that he was the Blue Paladin. Blue chose him for a reason. Blue knew that he was the Paladin for her. Allura would tell Lance that he was important no matter what may have happened. She would tell him that he needed to live. If not for them, or himself, then for the universe. She would tell him to carry on for them.

Coran would tell Lance that he was proud of him. He would remind Lance of the battles Voltron won. Of the times that Lance triumphed. Of the times that Lance proved himself to the universe and himself. Coran would say to be strong because Lance  _ was _ strong.

Pidge would yell at Lance. She would tell him that he was being stupid for thinking that he was helpless without them. She would say that he was a  _ fucking moron _ and he needed to  _ get over himself  _ and start being awesome. Because he was her Space Brother and no brother of hers was weak or pathetic.

Keith would glare at Lance in the way that meant he was actually suffering from (shudder) fond feelings for his “rival”. He would tell Lance to quit being ridiculous and do his job. Because he was a Paladin of Voltron and he wouldn’t be one if he couldn’t do this. He’d tell Lance to listen to the rest of the team- they knew Lance could do this.

Hunk would explain every way that Lance was wrong. That he wasn’t pathetic- he was Hunk’s best friend. He wasn’t a screw-up. He wasn’t weak. Wasn’t wrong. Wasn’t a mistake of Paladin. 

_ But they weren’t there to say that, were they? _ his mind argued.

His heart clenched as he agreed. Yeah. They weren’t there because  _ Lance _ failed them. 

But just because he proved them wrong, that didn’t mean he couldn’t do them proud.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t show Haggar who the Paladins of Voltron were.

He was the  _ fucking  _ Blue Paladin; it was about time he started acting like it. For them. 

Besides.

What did he have to lose?

***

Blood.

Lance had a  _ lot _ of blood to lose.

So that’s cool.

Now, he hadn’t really paid much attention in the Garrison Biology course (he knew  _ plenty _ about the human body  _ thank you very much _ ), but he knew for a fact that the amount of blood forming a puddle beneath him, and decorating the floor from when he was dragged into this freezer of a torture chamber, was  _ definitely _ not good.

He couldn’t feel his side anymore. Or his collarbone. His toes and ribs were a distant throb at this point. His hands had gone numb a  _ long  _ time ago.

He knew he was still bleeding, and he was still shivering. 

At least he wasn’t hypothermic.

On another positive note, Haggar had apparently decided that hurting Lance with physical brutality wasn’t her style.

Cool.

Her style was, in fact,  _ magic  _ brutality!

Cool?

“So tell me,” Lance rasped, nerves still tingling with a foreign, frankly  _ ugly _ energy that shockingly (“ _ Ohhh- good one Lance!” _ ) didn’t get any easier to bear no matter how many times Haggar zapped him with it, “what exactly is the job of Zarkon’s side-hoe? Like, are there benefits? Discounts? At the very least you’d think he would give a better  _ uniform _ .”

Haggar bristled. Ah… evil ladies and their looks. It wasn’t like she could get mad at the side-hoe comment; that basically was her entire character arc as far as Lance was concerned.

Lance had never been more grateful for his innate understanding of how weighty personal images were.

Yay insecurities?

“You  _ dare- _ ” Haggar’s fingers twitched familiarly.

“Listen, Hot Topic,” Lance interrupted heatedly. “I don’t know what exactly you’re hoping to accomplish with that, but it didn’t work the first ten times you used it and it’s not going to do anything now so  _ fucking lay off _ .”`

Haggar fell into a thoughtful silence that really put a damper on Lance’s quiet celebration.

“I agree, Paladin,” she said finally, wrinkly lips curling into a sneer. “I’ve gone easy on you long enough. Perhaps you’re not the failure the galaxy knows you to be.”

“Not that I love our talks, because I don’t,” Lance snapped, “but I really have no interest in hearing your evil monologue. You and your asshole emperor can fuck off.”

“Don’t deign to have any authority here, Paladin! You are only living because I allow it,” Haggar leaned in far too close, reminding the captive Paladin vividly of a similar interaction when this whole shit-show began. Lance grunted and pulled his head back, trying to avoid the putrid breath washing over his face.

“Okay wait I take it back,” Lance said quickly. “You aren’t Zarkon’s side-hoe.”

“Are you beginning to see sense, Paladin?”

“No. I just know that he has to have better taste than  _ this _ .” It was a low blow. Lance knew it was a low blow. It was cheap, it was dirty, it was insulting. But the Blue Paladin was tiring quickly and he couldn’t afford to lose steam now.

So… cheap shots.

“ _ You dirty little _ -” Hagger couldn’t even finish her rebuke, she was so angry. Whoops. Her eyes flared bright enough to leave Lance blinking sunspots out of his own, and the witch’s hands burst into light. Lance didn’t have time to process the action before blinding agony, unlike any of the punishments from before, filled his senses. 

It was agony. 

Pure, utter, agony.

He might have screamed. But with the way his jaw suddenly locked into place, and the roaring of his blood coupled with Haggar’s enraged roar, Lance had  _ no _ clue of what was going on other than making sure he didn’t start crying and a distant, foggy thought of  _ oh shit this is what dying is, isn’t it _ ?

The onslaught stopped as suddenly as it started, leaving the Paladin hanging fully from his still dripping wrists and gasping wetly for breath.

He never said he was successful in not crying- that  _ hurt _ .

“Had enough yet, Paladin? Ready to tell me about your former friends and their little coalition?”

No, no he wasn’t. But Lance couldn’t take another attack like that. At least, not for a dobosh or two.

So, he needed to do  _ something _ . Needed to give Haggar something before she actually killed him.

“O-Ok-Oka-ay,” Lance stammered. He’d like to say that it was all acting. It wasn’t. At all. But whatever; it worked to his advantage. Lance licked his lips, noting dimly that his nose had stopped bleeding sometime in this mess.

So he had that going for him.

Lance forced himself to look Haggar dead in her creepy eyes. “The Voltron coalition is comprised of only planets that match the colors of Voltron, that is, planets that are primarily black, blue, red, yellow, or green. I don’t know why, so don’t ask me. That was something Allura and Shiro decided on to make sure that we could identify a planet that would be safe for us. Currently, we have sixty-nine planets allied with us, though we were set to move on to find more after our last mission.”

“Continue, Paladin. I know there’s more you aren’t telling me.”

“I swear that’s all I know!” Lance cried, fighting a hysterical laugh because  _ holy fuck she was buying this?!  _ “I wasn’t trusted with any other information!”

“Tell me of your team. What do you know of the Castle of Lions?”

Lance looked away, trying to seem like he was having a moral struggle. Not that he wasn’t struggling, because he knew that continuing this stunt would get him killed, but also knowing full well that he had no right to tap into that precious self-preservation Shiro had been trying to instill in the Blue Paladin.

It was Lance’s inability to take care of himself that got them killed. No matter what his family might have said to him, they would never be able to negate the fact that Lance deserved this. He knew it was only a matter of time before his immaturity and irresponsibility would cost him.

He just never thought it would cost him his family.

“Voltron is composed of an alien species called…” Lance trailed off, strengthening his fake moral struggle.

“Called what?” Haggar snapped.

“Hummus,” Lance answered tentatively. “There are also two Alteans aboard the Castle of Lions.”

“What planet do you… Hummus come from?” Haggar said the word carefully, sounding out the foreign syllables with a menace that nearly had Lance breaking character. 

“We hail from the planet Chikpei, located in the galaxy of Meme-420. I assume you are familiar with this galaxy?”

Haggar stiffened. “The Galran Empire has touched every corner of the cosmos; we know this location well.”

_ Holy shit. _

“Now tell me more.”

*******

**Keith**

**Right As Haggar and Lance Met**

Lance was going to get himself killed.

Directly after Haggar had revealed what she’d done to Lance when she severed Keith’s and Shiro’s connection to him, she explained the second piece of her plan.

Basically, she wanted to break Lance. Everyone in the galaxy, even the  _ fucking Galra _ , knew that the Blue Paladin was ridiculously loyal. Keith hated it- didn’t Lance see how stupid that was? He was worth more than the others would ever be able to explain. Voltron needed Lance.

Someone needed to tell this idiot that.

But what would Lance do if he suddenly had no one to be loyal to?

The disturbing thing was that Keith totally agreed with the effectiveness of this plan. Would it work on Lance? Hell no, but on your average dickbag? Yeah. Yeah, it would. 

“ _ But why torture one meager Paladin when you can destroy all of Voltron? _ ” she’d crooned, the sound making Keith’s skin crawl. Shiro had looked like he was toying between passing out and flying the Black Lion to her blindly right then to kill her ass.

“What are you talking about?” Keith had snapped. 

“ _ Your precious Paladin is about to be brought to me. Keep the line open if you wish to see him. However, from here on out, things are going to be a little bit different. _ ”

“What do you mean?”  _ Why is no one else asking any questions? _

“ _ When I give the word, this channel will become a one-way connection: your Blue Paladin will not be able to see or hear you, no matter what you try.” _

No.

No no no-

“ _ Enjoy yourselves, Paladins. It’s been a while since I was last able to work with one of your kind. _ ”

Everyone held their breath as the screen fizzed and crackled for the briefest second. It steadied finally.

Keith wished it hadn’t.

He wished a lot of things, actually.

Two Galran brutes entered the room, uncaringly dragging a dark form between them. All those viewing gasped in sync at the realization that it was  _ Lance _ . 

Lance, with blood dripping from his collarbone and hip, pouring from his nose and trickling from his ears. Lance, with a mangled suit and heaving, painful breaths. Lance, who didn’t bother fighting the harsh grip on his arms. Lance, who’s wrists looked completely ravaged by whatever cuffs he’d been in before. Lance, who was shaking like he’d just been dunked in ice water (“ **_It’s cold._ ** ” Shiro had told Keith about it. He’d looked so haunted). Lance, with his bloody, broken, feet that trailed listlessly behind him.

Lance, who only flinched when the blindfold was ripped from his eyes.

Lance, who didn’t react as his arms were wrenched above his head and cruelly locked into hanging restraints.

Lance, who’s eyes were wide and tearful, with no indication that he saw any of what was going on.

That’s when it really hit Keith:  _ Lance thought they were dead _ . Not only that, Lance thought that  _ he _ was the one that had killed his entire team.

Oh fuck.

Oh no. 

Lance was so far in his head, so deeply absorbed in his shock, pain, and grief, that he didn’t respond the first time Haggar spoke to him. Although, Keith liked to think that the Blue Paladin’s gaze sharpened ever so slightly at the gravely greeting. 

Keith had never seen Lance like this. He looked so lost, so… so  _ broken. _

That  _ bitch _ .

“Lance, Lance can you hear us?” Shiro tried. Everyone knew it was a lost cause, but Keith still fought a defeated growl when Lance didn’t respond at all. He blinked, eyes quickly clearing and focusing as Haggar stalked closer to Lance.

“ _ What? No reply, Blue Paladin? Nothing to say to me? _ ” 

Keith’s blood boiled as anger burned in Lance’s gaze. It wasn’t like any anger Keith had aver seen in his friend. It was… darker. Sadder.

Self-deprecating.

The witch caught onto it, pausing her step with a proud grin. “ _ A Paladin of Voltron in my grasp once more. At least my Champion faced me head-on- he didn’t cower. What would your team say- oh! I suppose we’ll never know! _ ” she cackled.

“You  _ bitch _ !” Pidge shrieked. “Let him go!”

“Pidge,” Allura said calmly, a tear quietly dripping down her face. She stood at the controls of the Castle, urging it through space as quickly as she could. Pidge deflated, eyes brimming angrily. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Unless you, Hunk, or Coran can reach Lance? No. Leave this to me.” Allura’s gaze was steely behind the emotional shine.

Lance wasn’t so confident. At the mention of Shiro- Keith didn’t miss the violent flinch from the older man- Lance fell apart, eyes blinking desperately to keep his emotions at bay.

It didn’t work. Hunk sobbed quietly at the few tears dripping from Lance’s gaunt eyes. He gave Pidge a determined nod when she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Coran didn’t need prompting before inviting the two geniuses to join him in the control room.

Despite the circumstances, Keith found his spirits lifting ever so slightly. If anyone could get them to Lance, it would be Allura, Coran, Hunk, and Pidge.

Then Shiro and Keith could punch and stab the rest of the way.

That’s a plan Keith could get behind. Shiro seemed to have a similar idea.

They would stay with Lance, providing their presence even if what Haggar said was true.

They could do this. For Lance.

Speaking of…

Something was happening with Lance. His head was bowed, staring numbly at the ground. Keith winced internally at the ever-growing pool of blood beneath the captive teen. It wasn’t enough to be life-threatening yet…

But that “yet” was the scariest thing Keith had had to think about in a long time. Because who knew how soon that yet would come into being? 

Lance’s gaze hardened suddenly, a warm resilience relaxing his face. Keith’s eyes widened, looking up at Shiro to see if the Black Paladin was seeing the same thing. Shiro didn’t take his eyes off the screen, but he nodded seriously at Keith’s unspoken question. 

Keith’s breathing picked up when Lance looked up, his gaze strong and passive. Shiro, beside the suddenly panicked teen, let out a quiet sigh of relief, no doubt thrilled to see that Lance was responding like their Lance, however slight the gesture.

He didn’t see it.

Not like Keith did. 

Because that wasn’t just calm Keith saw. No, it was resignation. And anger. And love.

Keith knew that gaze. He knew it in the frightened children from foster homes that ran away and were never found. He knew it in older kids taking a beating to save the new arrivals from a bully at school. He knew it in the eyes of prisoners on Galran ships, desperate to be free but knowing that they’d rather die before seeing freedom before their fellow captives around them.

He knew it in the Galran soldiers he cut down every battle.

Lance was going to do something. He was going to do something very stupid.

And he was going to do it because he thought he deserved it.

*******

**Shiro**

Shiro had been so  _ stupid  _ to think that things were starting to look up at Lance’s sudden cognizance. 

So, so  _ stupid _ .

He should have seen it. Keith had- Shiro realized that now. He knew the moment Lance looked up with that strong and determined look that he was about to do something dangerous.

Something downright  _ stupid _ .

It never dawned on Shiro that he would try this- because, contrary to what others may say (at their own peril), Lance is  _ not _ stupid. Is he easy-going? Of course- someone on this damn ship needed to be. Is he goofy? Yes. Again, someone needed to be. Is Lance fiercely loyal, almost to a fault? Yes. Does it sometimes get Lance and the others in trouble? Well yeah- the teen has a heart so big he doesn’t even know what to  _ do  _ with it, let alone find the coarseness to guard it against untrustworthy persons. Does it make him a lesser Paladin? Hell no. Does it make him stupid? Shiro will say it again: hell no.

Shiro never thought that it would make him suicidal, however.

Usually Shiro could count on Lance to be level headed during times of duress. He coped in his own, typically verbal, way, and the others drew strength from the normalcy and interacted as applicable to keep themselves focused.

At some point during the live feed, however, Lance came to a decision. Somewhere in between Haggar’s taunts and jabs, Lance decided that now was the time to dig his heels in the proverbial mud. To fight back as only he could. 

A horrified part of Shiro desperately wished that Lance would go back to that disturbing, empty silence. 

Anything but this.

Please.

The Blue Paladin’s eyes were hard, uncaring. His tremors never ceased, but they lessened with the growing glare taking Lance’s normally radiant features. There was no smile there. There was no joy. 

There was only cold resignation.

And it terrified Shiro more than any foe he’d faced in the Arena.

***

“ _ Haggar, right? _ ” Lance asked, voice rough from lack of use. 

“ _ I trust you’ve heard of me from my beloved Champion _ .” Shiro’s throat went dry. Haggar was all too happy to finally have a captive to speak to. He hated to imagine what she had planned for the boy.

“ _ Don’t you  _ dare _ speak about him like that! _ ” Shiro blinked at the sudden vehemence in Lance’s words, a sparkle he’d missed  _ so much _ finally returning to eyes that had been far too dull for far too long. “ _ You have no right to ever say  _ anything _ about my team- not after all you’ve done! _ ”

Tears shone in Lance’s eyes, Shiro’s breath catching at the realization of how hard Lance had been hit by Haggar’s lie.

Sure, he knew what the Galra had told him… but it never really occurred to Shiro how much it would impact their loving, friendly, accepting, inclusive, family-oriented “Space Brother” (Pidge’s terminology- the younger Paladins had a thing about adding “space” to everything that still had the Black Paladin fairly baffled). There really had never been a time for Shiro to have seen this side of Lanc-

What? Yes, there was.

Shiro, get your head out of your ass. You knew- you  _ fucking knew _ that Lance would be hit hard by this. You knew in the way he emerged from a goddamn  _ coma _ to save his friends from Sendak. You knew in the kind glances he would send your way when he would go on nightly walks, checking on Pidge’s lab to make sure she wasn’t there. You knew in the comfort he’d supply when the darkness was too much and you thought that telling the others would be a bother, so you sat alone in the kitchen to stew in your terror until someone found you. You knew in how long he’d sit by your side, offering silent acceptance and lending his ear to your nightmares, never once judging you or making you feel lesser. You knew in the soft glances towards Hunk and Keith as they finally began to bond. You knew in the way he never let Coran or Allura isolate themselves from the others.

You knew that he made that Castle a family.

And you left him on his own. You let him take that hit, make that choice, for his family.

That was unforgivable.

_ You fucking knew that this would destroy him. _

So maybe instead of asking him useless questions you could have been helping him to know that he’d succeeded, that you were  _ proud  _ of him so that he wouldn’t be stuck in chains with the witch that tortured you for a year  _ defending _ the memory of a team  _ that he thought he killed _ . 

God, this was so fucked up. 

Lance shouldn’t have had to do this. He shouldn’t have been in that position. He shouldn’t be hurting, not like this. He shouldn’t even be in  _ space _ . Shiro should have sent the teenagers back. He should have grabbed a different team. A team that was older. A team that wouldn’t have been dragged from their loving families before finishing puberty. A team that wouldn’t be stuck fighting a war that they never asked for.

Shiro wouldn’t trade his team for the world.

But sometimes he really wished that they had never joined this war. 

Haggar chuckled, a harsh sound that broke Shiro from his thoughts. “ _ All that  _ I’ve _ done? Come now, Paladin; you and I both know that I’m not the one in the wrong here. After all,  _ I  _ never  _ killed _ anyone personally, let alone the only aliens to stand against the Galran Empire. _ ” Lance flinched violently. Shiro’s hand began to glow an angry purple. He didn’t have the care nor self-control to cool it down.

That  _ bitch _ .

“ _ Don’t play moral high ground here, bitch, _ ” Lance hissed. Shiro grimaced- he knew forced anger when he saw it; sometimes it was easier to be mad than to give into despair. “ _ I don’t think being Zarkon’s lap-dog is anything to brag about. Is it nice when he scratches behind those ginormous ears of yours? _ ”

“Lance, what are you doing?” Shiro whispered, eyes wide. 

“What he thinks he has to,” Keith answered hollowly.

“No. No, he’s-” no. No no no no  _ no no no no- _

“Think about it,” Keith finally snapped, looking up at Shiro heatedly. “He thinks he’s the last one. For him, it’s just Lance and Haggar alone in a room.” He swallowed thickly. “He believes that he’s never getting off that ship. And he’s going to make the most of it.”

“ _ Fuck _ .” No one commented on Shiro’s quiet swear. Keith nodded, a grimace twisting his features.

“Yeah.”

“ _ Don’t play coy, Paladin. You know what is coming.” _ They all did. Shiro was terrified. She was probably going to-

“ _ Knife Monopoly. _ ”

What?

“What?” Keith blurted out. Allura looked over from where she was piloting the Castleship. 

“What’s Knife Monopoly?”

“Oh my fuck,” Pidge gasped loudly from the doorway.

“Pidge?”

“Tell me Lance didn’t just say ‘ _ Knife Monopoly _ ’.”

“No, no he did. Why are you down here and not with Hunk and Coran?” Keith crossed his arms, a nervous tick he’d never grown out of. Shiro scoffed fondly internally, remembering a much younger Keith doing the same thing the first time they met.

“Oh, right. The other two are coming right now- whatever that bitch did, it was thorough. We have no way of reaching Lance with Haggar keeping us blocked. Without knowledge of how her magic works, we have no way to work around it.”

“So we’re stuck until we get there?” Shiro placed a warning hand on Keith’s shoulder. Now wasn’t the time to lash out against one another. The younger teen got the message, forcefully relaxing ever so slightly.

“ _ What is this ‘Knife Monopoly’?” _ Haggar questioned. All conversation on the bridge stopped, Coran and Hunk trooping in directly after.

“What’s going on?” Hunk asked hurriedly.

“Lance… Lance is, he’s trying to-”

“Lance is making the best of what he thinks is a hopeless situation,” Shiro supplied evenly, cutting Pidge off with a gentle look. She smiled gratefully, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“What did he do?”

“Knife Monopoly,” Pidge said bluntly. Hunk’s eyes widened in horror.

“No, tell me he isn’t-”

“ _ I’m surprised you don’t know what it is. Maybe the Galra are slipping _ ,” Lance mused idly, locking eyes tauntingly with the witch in front of him.

“ _ I doubt it will matter in the end, Paladin. Either way, you won’t survive what I have planned. _ ”

_ Oh no _ .

“Team, go to the kitchen,” Shiro commanded softly. “He wouldn’t want you guys to see this.”

“Hell no.”

“I second the motion,” Hunk, though a bit green, nodded determinedly. Keith just glared at Shiro, daring him to object.

“It’s not going to be pretty,” he warned.

“We’re a team,” Keith said with finality, ending any and all discussion. All those present, excluding Allura, who Shiro knew was putting all of her strength into getting the Castle to Lance as soon as possible.

_ “Come at me, bitch.” _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah it doesn’t get any better from here, either.
> 
> *shrugs*
> 
> I don’t know if this is how I’m supposed to angst but it’s where it’s going and I can’t say that I’m totally against it.
> 
> Would you believe me if I said that I planned this to be a simple one shot about Lance being sassy?
> 
> Hecking plot, man.
> 
> See you later tonight!
> 
> Peasant Out!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for the night!
> 
> Tw for psychological torture, graphic and rather horrific death, and torture in general.
> 
> But our Paladins are getting close!
> 
> Remember that I don’t own our Paladins, and I rely solely on my dear Grammarly to get through the disaster that is my writing:)
> 
> Enjoy!

**Pidge**

Pidge had always joked that one day Lance was going to say “fight me” and get absolutely  _ decked _ .

She never imagined that this would be the way. 

Haggar’s eyes lit up a furious yellow, her hands suddenly buzzing with energy. The camera feed shuddered and fizzed with the newfound charge in the room.

_ Oh shit _ .

Pidge didn’t have time to shout.

Shiro didn’t have time to protest.

Hunk didn’t have time to turn away.

Lance didn’t even have time to draw breath.

Suddenly there was this brilliant purple (ugh, what else) light that popped and flashed. Pidge had to close her eyes to avoid the brightness of it. Hunk gasped out what sounded like a plea buried beneath a cry of pain that he couldn’t suppress for his friend’s sake.

And Lance…

Lance was silent. Pidge forced herself to open her eyes as the light died away as quickly as it appeared. Lance hung purely from his wrists, breathing heavily with surprised tears dripping to the floor. He spat out what looked alarmingly like blood before turning to Haggar, something intense, though unreadable in his gaze.

“ _ Gotta be… honest… _ ” he panted, trying to get his feet beneath him. “ _ Next time… give a guy a warning, would’ja? _ ” The slurring… that wasn’t good. That really wasn’t good. His shoulders were shaking almost uncontrollably as the Blue Paladin hung from his bonds.

She’d electrocuted him.

_ Oh,  _ fuck _ she’d electrocuted him _ .

“I’m going to  _ fucking kill her _ ,” Pidge whispered, uncaring of the looks her teammates sent. They could preach about justice until the goddamn cows came home; she was going to kill that bitch for  _ ever  _ daring to harm her family.

“ _ I won’t be so easy next time, Paladin _ ,” Haggar warned.

“ _ Easy? _ ” Lance mused, looking so much like himself for a second that Pidge’s heart hurt. “ _ T-tha-that was about as easygoing as your disposition. Take that… take that however you wish.” _

Haggar was silent for a moment. “ _ I’m going to ignore that for now. Instead, you’re going to tell me everything you know Voltron. If not, I have all the time to make your pathetic life a living hell.” _

_ “At least buy me dinner first, sheesh, _ ” Lance muttered.

“Stop antagonizing her, dumbass,” Keith growled. Pidge felt like raising some hackles herself, but stopped in lieu of letting Hunk wrap his arms around her shoulders. He did better in stressful situations with something tactile to hold onto.

Plus, Hunk Hugs are the best and no way was Pidge passing up that comfort. Not when Haggar’s hands lit up once more and Lance was left to writhe where he stood, a vein popping in his neck while his hands spasmed above his head.

She left him to gasp for air after what felt like an eternity. Pidge pushed back an angry sob; crying wouldn’t help Lance. He needed them to be ready to storm the ship he was being kept on and rescue him.

“ _ What do you know?” _ Haggar asked again, still eerily calm.

“ _ Bite m- wait, no. A, you might actually, and B, I don’t have my rabies shot and I'm not sure I trust your genetics.” _

_ “Don’t tempt me, Paladin. Though your species, it sounds quite odd. Tell me; where are you and your former team from? _ ” Pidge didn’t miss the pained wince from Lance, and her fists curled at her sides.

“ _ Three systems over at the corner of Fuck You and None of Your Business.” _

That earned him another shock. An alarming puddle of blood was beginning to form beneath his feet. Pidge hadn’t noticed it until now, but it was suddenly all she could look at.

It was too much. Blood dribbled from Lance’s collarbone and side, making silent plinks on the ground. His nose had slowed its flow, which didn’t do much for Pidge’s nerves, but still.

Posi-fucking-tives.

She hated this. Hated the passive resignation in Lance’s eyes. Hated the way his hands were shaking above his head with aftershocks from the abuse he’d already suffered. Hated the way his eyes got watery and far away whenever Haggar taunted him about his family. Hated the way the rest of her family was just as helpless as she was. Hated that they were watching Lance being tortured, and none of them could do a  _ damn  _ thing about it. Hated that Lance was having to defend a family that he thought he’d killed. 

She hated that she knew that he would  _ never _ give them up.

She really wished he would. Just to make it  _ stop _ .

Lance found his feet shakily once more, looking up at Haggar with a reserved hate in his eyes. Cracked lips quirked in a ghost of the smile she knew and loved  _ so much _ .

“ _ So tell me _ ,” Lance rasped, “ _ what exactly is the job of Zarkon’s side-hoe? _ ” 

_Oh fuck-_ _he’s going there_. 

“ _ Like, are there benefits? Discounts? At the very least you’d think he would give a better  _ uniform.”

Keith sucked in a sharp breath. Pidge mumbled “ _ damn _ ” under her breath.

“ _ You  _ dare- _! _ ” Pidge winced as she saw Haggar’s hands raise once again. Lance must have caught on, too, because he cut her off venomously before she could continue with her preferred method of interrogation.

“ _ Listen, Hot Topic; I don’t know what exactly you’re hoping to accomplish with that, but it didn’t work the first ten times you used it and it’s not going to do anything now so  _ fucking lay off.”`His words were still slurring ever so slightly- Pidge clenched her hands at her sides, noting the slight panic in Lance’s eyes and slight trembling of his jaw. No doubt Lance was beginning to realize how badly the magic was affecting him.

This was his Hail Mary.

But what was he trying accomplish?

Haggar turned around with a wink that made Pidge’s skin crawl.  _ Oh no _ .

“ _ I agree, Paladin, _ ” she smirked after a moment. “ _ I’ve gone easy on you long enough. Perhaps you’re not the failure the galaxy knows you to be _ .”

“You fucking say that again! I dare you! Say it aga-” Hunk wrapped Pidge up in his arms, cutting off her rant against that  _ bitch _ .

“ _ Not that I love our talks, because I don’t _ ,” Lance snapped, putting up a brave front of indifference; it didn’t work, but points for trying, Sharpshooter, “ _ but I really have no interest in hearing your evil monologue. You and your asshole emperor can fuck off _ .”

“ _ Don’t deign to have any authority here, Paladin! You are only living because I allow it _ .” Pidge growled, Hunk’s arms tightening around her reassuringly, as Lance physically recoiled from Haggar’s sudden invasion of his personal space.

“ _ Okay wait I take it back, _ ” he amended quickly. “ _ You aren’t Zarkon’s side-hoe _ .”

“Oh no,” Hunk murmured. Pidge nodded in agreement, horror dawning on her anew. 

“He’s going for it.”

“He’s going to get himself  _ killed _ .”

“Not if we get there first,” Shiro said firmly. “Allura, what’s our ETA?”

“Too long,” she said grimly.

“ _ Are you beginning to see sense, Paladin? _ ”

“ _ No. I just know that he has to have better taste than  _ this _. _ ” 

“Oh shit,” Pidge drawled, absolutely dumbstruck.

What was he  _ doing? _

Was he  _ trying  _ to get himself killed? 

Didn’t he  _ want _ to survive? Didn’t he want to get home?

Pidge froze as it all clicked in her head.

Lance didn’t think he was ever going home. If he didn’t die from Haggar, it would be in the Arena. If not in the Arena, it would be in the Galran prisons. If not there, then it would be out in space, fighting a war that he had no backup in, and no way of reaching the rebel groups making themselves known.

He planned on dying on his own terms.

Oh  _ God _ .

“ _ You dirty little _ -” Haggar lit up with an angry roar, hands blazing brighter than Pidge could have ever seen. Lance went rigid, eyes wide and searching as his muscles locked in place. A strained hum made it’s way past a frozen jaw.

Pidge counted three tears.

She was going to make Haggar  _ pay _ for those three tears and every pain Lance had  _ ever  _ suffered at her wrinkly hands.

No one got to hurt Lance and get away with it.

When the torture ended, Lance had no chance of keeping his footing. He slumped fully from raw and bleeding wrists. More tears joined the puddle of blood on the floor as he spasmed violently.

“ _ Had enough yet, Paladin? Ready to tell me about your former friends and their little coalition? _ ”

_ Please say yes-  _ please. _ We can warn the others. It will be fine. Just  _ tell her  _ dammit Lance- _

For a joyous second, she thought he was going to. Lance looked up, nose newly bleeding at an alarming rate, and eyes wide and vulnerable.

“ _ O-Ok-Oka-ay. _ ”

That hope came crashing down the moment Lance spoke again.

“ _ The Voltron coalition is comprised of only planets that match the colors of Voltron, that is, planets that are primarily black, blue, red, yellow, or green. I don’t know why, so don’t ask me. That was something Allura and Shiro decided on to make sure that we could identify a planet that would be safe for us. Currently, we have sixty-nine planets allied with us, though we were set to move on to find more after our last mission _ .”

“Holy shit,” Shiro breathed. Pidge didn’t have the self-awareness to call him out on his swearing.

“ _ Continue, Paladin. I know there’s more you aren’t telling me. _ ”

“Fuck, she’s  _ buying this _ ?!” Keith shrilled, left hand running frantically through his bangs. “What is he  _ doing _ ?!”

“ _ I swear that’s all I know!” _ Lance exclaimed innocently, delight dancing in his tired eyes. “ _ I wasn’t trusted with any other information! _ ”

“ _ Tell me of your team. What do you know of the Castle of Lions? _ ”

Lance looked constipated for a solid five ticks. Pidge couldn’t decide if it was because he was trying to not break character, or because he was trying to add to the story and had run out of ideas.

Or both.

It could have been both.

“ _ Voltron is composed of an alien species called… _ ” Lance trailed off, intensifying the constipation act. 

“ _ Called what? _ ” Haggar snapped.

“ _ Hummus _ ,” Lance answered tentatively. Pidge choked on her spit in shock while the others stopped breathing. “ _ There are also two Alteans aboard the Castle of Lions _ .”

“She doesn’t know what species you are?” Hunk asked Shiro. The taller man shrugged. 

“She doesn’t really do ‘small talk’.”

Makes sense.

“ _ What planet do you…  _ Hummus _ come from? _ ” Pidge shouldn’t laugh. Pidge shouldn’t laugh. She shouldn’t laugh. This is not a funny situation.

But holy  _ fuck _ Lance had gotten Haggar to say hummus as though it were a sentient being. If that wasn’t the funniest thing to happen all week, Pidge would let Shiro cook for her for a month.

“ _ We hail from the planet Chikpei, located in the galaxy of Meme-420. I assume you are familiar with this galaxy? _ ”

“I’m going to kill him,” Keith muttered, staring up at the screen in terror. 

“ _ She’s _ going to kill him,” Hunk whispered. “Just tell her the truth, Lance.”

Haggar stiffened. “ _ The Galran Empire has touched every corner of the cosmos; we know this location well _ .  _ Now tell me more _ .”

“Paladins!” Allura called, “We are going to wormhole in twenty ticks- get to your lions!”

“On it, princess! Coran,” Shiro turned sympathetic eyes upon the man, asking a question no one wanted to to the Altean that saw Lance as a son. The orange mustached man blinked back tears with a determined nod.

“I’ll keep watch. You four… bring our Lance home.”

*******

**Lance**

Lance was running out of story to tell.

He was also running out of focus. His head was fuzzy and everything was becoming oddly detached and one of Haggar’s eyes had turned pink and  _ that _ was definitely not a color she could afford.

A very small part of him considered telling her the truth. Maybe then she would heal him and he could escape and join the rebels in the Blue Lion.

And then he remembered that he was literally the reason that all of Voltron was dead. Yeah. He’d rather die ruining Haggar’s day than face a galaxy that he destroyed.

Wasn’t like he’d actually be able to do anything anyway.

SO.

Back to heckling. 

“What… what else do you want to know?” It would be nice if he could speak clearly  _ just this once _ . Like, could his voice not waver right now? Thanks.

“What are planet Chikpei’s defenses?”

Solid question. How to answer?

“I’mmm... not tellin-ng you t-that.” What? No! That was supposed to be a bold statement!

Dammit, Lance. Get your shit together.

( _ I miss you, Pidge _ )

Now is not the time to fall apart.

( _ Please come back, Keith _ )

Think. You’re a Paladin. You can do this.

( _ Shiro I’m so sorry _ )

Don’t stop! Keep going!

( _ Hunk the universe didn’t deserve you _ )

Lance found himself smiling, even as his nerves lit up again with Haggar’s fury. 

“You need a hobby,” he wheezed when she finally let him breathe again.

On the bright side, everything was pretty numb at this point. He couldn’t feel anything, not anymore.

That… that wasn’t a good thing.

No.

Lance should be concerned.

Numbness is not a good sign.

...he’s not concerned.

“You will tell me, Paladin. It is not in your favor to test my patience any further. What are the defenses for planet Chikpei?”

Lance was silent, mind drifting to bright stars and beautiful, rolling waves.

He missed home.

“There are large projectiles called…” a food pun would be amazing. 

So would food. Food would be amazing right about then.

“Called  _ what _ ?”

“Dips. They’re called d-di-dipsss. And they spread out through the atmosphere and coat allllll nearby objects. Then the objects light up (poof!) with a nasty odor and are quickly eaten through by the chemical.”

Haha. Spread. Get it? Because hummus is a dip? And you spread it on things?

Whatever. Lance thought it was  _ hilarious _ .

‘Know what else was hilarious?

That funky little dripping that kept plinking on his head.

He couldn’t decide if he liked it or not.

“And how are these dips fired?”

Oh, here we go. Big finish, Lance.

He found himself sobering. This was it. 

Time to ruin her quintant.

“There’sss a code. And no, I’m nn-nnnot telling you.” Was he spasming or laughing?

Lance didn’t know.

Haggar shocked him again. Lance only knew because his jaw went all funky and the lights faded out and that plink fell  _ way  _ faster on his and he was beginning to decide that he didn’t much  _ like  _ that plinking.  
  


0/10; not satisfied.

“N-no-no-no. I’m not sssaying anythin-ng-ing.” And the Oscar for Best Male Lead goes to?

Rough fingers dug into Lance’s hair. That wasn’t very nice. Those fingers painfully yanked Lance’s head up to look into a furious yellow gaze.

“Tell me. Then I will let you go.”

Pfft. That was almost funnier than that plinking that was  _ still going on. _

Lance had decided that he didn’t like it anymore. 

“O-ok-kay.” Ready?

Certain peril in three…

Two…

One…

“The code is: G-U-L-L-I-B-L-E. Fuck you,” he added after a tick. Lance stared Haggar dead in the eyes, uncaring of the strong grip still forcing his head up. Score one for Sharpshooter.

Haggar was silent for a solid, hilarious dobosh.

Then she got angry again as realization dawned on her.

“YOU LIED!” she shrieked. Lance didn’t like the sound. Too piercing. 

“Duh,” he slurred, choking off in surprise as those claws in his hair suddenly wrapped around his exposed throat.

“You’ll pay for this! Guards!” Four very large Galrans stepped into the room at her words. Lance stiffened, sudden clarity returning.

Maybe this wasn’t his brightest plan yet.

Imagine that.

“Yes ma’am?” The tallest answered.

“Take this prisoner to cellblock 13-beta. He’s much too resistant for my taste. Leave him alive, but what happens on the way is of no consequence to me.” Haggar dropped her hand from Lance’s neck with mild disgust. “You and I will have to finish this later. Am I clear, general?”

This was bad. This was very very bad.

“Yes ma’am.”

Lance looked up blearily as Haggar whisked out of the room, leaving him alone with Purple Hulk and his three back up dancers. 

Purple Hulk popped his impossibly large knuckles.

“You heard her, boys: she only needs him alive.”

Oh  _ Dios _ .

*******

**_Haggar_ **

Haggar brushed through the halls of her cruiser, head spinning with possible solutions to her quandary.

The Paladins of Voltron were coming to retrieve their lost sheep; that much Haggar knew.

But it was too soon.

The Blue Paladin had proved to be… much more resilient that she’d initially predicted. After the stunt he’d pulled, there was no chance of him ever being useful for any information on the enemies of the Galran Empire.

But it was more than that. The Blue Paladin simply… wouldn’t break. He was combative, rude, stubborn, and draped himself in a ludicrous loyalty that no sane soldier would ever engage in. It was self-destructive, consuming.

She needed a different route, and she needed one quick.

If the Paladins came and retrieved their Paladin before he’d been sufficiently broken, then all this work, all of Haggar’s efforts, will have been all for naught.

She’d assured her emperor that she wouldn’t fail him. Not again.

But Haggar was out of ideas. Every other prisoner had succumbed to her… technique fairly quickly. Even the last of his species, her dear beloved Champion, had quickly fallen beneath her power.

But that is the difference between them, wasn’t it. Her Champion knew that there were others like him. He broke  _ for _ them. He succumbed to keep her attention from drifting.

From an objective point of view, it was oddly endearing, her sweet Champion.

From any other viewpoint, however, it was extremely stupid and made her skin crawl. The idea that another’s life could ever be more important than one’s own…

Survival of the fittest didn’t work nearly fast enough, in her taste.

So where did that leave the Blue one?

He had nothing to live for; so why did he still cling to it?

Haggar supposed that it was for the same reason that her Champion had succumbed: the people that he loved.

If Haggar wanted her prisoner to break, she needed to use the one thing he had to cleave to: the Paladins of Voltron.

With a grin, Haggar swiveled mid-step and swept down the way she’d come, making a beeline for where she’d sent the prisoner. He would be delivered there soon enough.

She’d have to make this quick.

And she’d have to make it brutal.

And brutal, she could do.

*******

**_Lance_ **

**_Thirty Doboshes Later_ **   
  


Lance was mercifully tossed into a grimy cell with debatable awareness. Everything ached- Lance found himself really missing that blissful numbness he’d discovered with the witch.

Is it weird that he preferred her lightning to this?

Lance groaned, trying to shift.

He’d lost too much blood.

He knew that.

Though, he wasn’t sure if the Galrans did.

Maybe if he died on their watch they’d get fired or something.

Maybe a pay decrease.

Did Galran soldiers get paid?

Lance smirked quietly, imagining a little Galran family jumping for joy at the Christmas bonus they’d received that year and then blowing it all on a swimming pool i-

_ Focus. _

Lance dragged himself to the back of the cell after the door closed with a deafening  _ clang _ . He tried to stem the bleeding that he could reach, but gave up in lieu of just curling up in a corner and waiting for something to happen.

He wasn’t sure what he wanted to happen next.

Would Haggar return first?

Would Purple Hulk come back?

Would  _ Batman _ come back?

Would he bleed out?

None of them seemed really fun, though Lance certainly preferred one of them.

A tear dripped down Lance’s face.

He was so done.

Done with failing.

Done with pain.

Done with loneliness.

Done with the waiting.

He buried his head in his knees, not really caring of the harm it did to his wounds. Wasn’t like he needed to worry about them hurting full throttle later, right?

Right.

Another tear dripped silently down. A sob echoed in the small chamber.

_ “I’m sorry _ .”

They’d deserved better.

*******

**Keith**

**Thirty Doboshes after Arriving in the Lions**

“What’s our status on those coordinates?” Keith asked, impatiently fiddling with Red’s controls.

“ _ Nearly there. Entering a wormhole now,” _ Allura reported over Castle comms. 

Good.

“ _ Alright team, do we know the plan? _ ” Shiro was trying desperately to sound calm and assured, but Keith knew he was just as eager to get there as the others.

They needed to get Lance back  _ now _ .

“ _ Paladins, whatever you do, please hurry, _ ” Coran called urgently. Keith stiffened, hands clutching his controls in a white knuckle grip. 

“What happened?”

“ _... nothing good. _ ” 

Shit. 

“ _ Okay. The plan is that Hunk and I go fuck up their tech shit. Shiro and Keith fuck up their defenses. Then we fight our way through their Galran shit until we can get Lance. End of story, _ ” Pidge supplied helpfully.

The ship shook slightly, signaling that they had reached the exit of a wormhole.

“Tell that means what I think it does,” Keith said, already feeling adrenaline building in his veins.

“ _ There is a Galran cruiser dead ahead! Go, Paladins! We will cover you!” _

“ _ Thanks, Allura. Team, let’s get our Paladin back!”  _ Shiro cried. Keith was already rocketing out of the castle before Shiro even finished his sentence.

***

No one was shocked that the Galrans were ready for them. They’d no doubt been waiting for a while.

But they hadn’t prepared for the angry Paladins fighting with a fury the universe had never seen. Keith was having the time of his life, swooping in and raking Red’s jawblade up and down the side of the cruiser where the fighter pilot exits were. He didn’t dare attack anywhere else for fear of somehow harming the prisoner bay.

“ _ Pidge, Hunk, you two get inside. Keith and I will cover you and join you when we can. _ ”

Keith smirked. Fuck yeah.

“ _ Keith, _ ” Shiro said after Hunk and Pidge broke off towards the cruiser, “ _ I’m heading your way with a few friends. Be ready. _ ”

Keith grinned, seeing the string of fighters following the Black Lion. “I’m on it.”

The Red Lion blasted through the fighters, a satisfying explosion lighting up the airless atmosphere. More fighters were pouring out of the cruiser, and turrets had made their presence known. They rained down fire on the two Lions, not that Red and Black couldn’t handle it, but Keith would prefer if he didn’t have to deal with that as well as the fighters.

Plus, he was feeling a little vicious today.

Sue him.

“I’ll take out the turrets; you handle the fighter pilots,” Keith decided quickly, not waiting for Shiro’s agreement before zooming off. 

In total, there were seven turrets on either side of the cruiser, though Keith could see other ports not in use at the moment. 

He blasted those, too. 

A fiery laser blast was plenty enough for the turrets, Red purring excitedly in Keith’s mind. To be honest, both the Red Paladin and Lion were a little insulted at the lack of backup Haggar had prepared for them. Surely, with how confident she’d been when she told them that they would have no element of surprise, Haggar would have had  _ some _ sort of impressive defense for them.

“ **_I’m going to break your friend. And then I’m going to break all of you_ ** ”

Keith’s stomach dropped.

Haggar  _ wanted _ them to take Lance. She wanted them to get out of here with Lance and… try to save him. She wanted Lance  _ broken. _

She thought Lance was broken. Whatever she did, even after the others left to get to the Lions, she thought that she’d broken Lance.

No. No way.

Lance is an annoying piece of shit. He’s impulsive and cheeky, far-fetched and boastful.

He’s also stubborn.

_ So, so  _ stubborn.

No way had he been broken.

Fuck you, Haggar. No way did you win this one.

However, that didn’t mean that Keith wouldn’t be breathing easier when he saw for himself that Lance had managed to out-stubborn a Galran witch.

_ “Pidge, what’s your status? _ ” Shiro called, the Black Lion flying over near Keith. All of the remaining fighters had retreated, further confirming Keith’s theory.

“Shiro-” Keith began worriedly.

“ _ I know _ ,” he answered solemnly. “ _ We need to trust him _ .”   
  


*******

**Lance**

Lance could hear his team again.

He could  _ hear. His team. Again _ .

_ Dios _ , he really wished it were them. He wished it was them, coming to take them away from this place of dark and cold and lightning and awful, crushing loneliness that threatened to swallow him whole.

But he knew it wasn’t them.

And every time,  _ every time _ he began to hope that maybe,  _ maybe _ , he hadn’t lost them afterall, Haggar would always end the illusions. Every time, Lance was left to fall apart all over again.

The first time, he’d cried loud and hard, sobbing apologies that would never reach the ones he missed so much.

It had been Keith’s voice. Calm and firm. All he said was Lance’s name. Then:  _ “Where are you? We’re here, Lance. We’re here. Where are you?” _

Then Pidge: “ _ We can’t see you, Lance.” _

Hunk: “ _ Buddy, please, say something _ .”

Lance had choked on a gasp, wheezing out, “‘here. M’here. Please. Please, m’here.”

Then everything had shattered. 

“ _ If only you hadn’t failed us _ .” Oh,  _ Dios, _ Shiro had sounded so  _ disappointed _ . “ _ Maybe we could actually reach you then _ .”

Lance’s brow had furrowed. “What? You- you said-”

“ _ It’s your own fault, you know _ ,” Keith had snarled suddenly. Lance hadn’t been able to bite back a whimper as he folded in on himself more, unheeding off the muscles that screamed and strained, or the puddle that never seemed to leave him. “ _ You did this to yourself. And now you’re paying the price.” _

Lance hadn’t been able to reply, shaking and desperately trying to quiet himself.

He didn’t deserve the luxury of grief. They were right.

“ _ Listen to him, Hunk. How could we have expected any less of a  _ seventh wheel _? _ ” The venom in Pidge’s voice had Lance scrunching his eyes shut. Hunk murmuring in agreement had him wrapping his arms around him as tight as his seeping collarbone would allow.

It didn’t allow much.

The next time, Lance saw shadows. Lights, apparitions, familiar brushes of air rushing over his shoulder.

“Hello?” He’d rasped.

“ _ Disgraceful _ ,” Shiro’s voice had echoed back.

Hunk: “ _ Embarrassing _ ”

Pidge: “ _ Awful _ ”

Keith: “ _ Worthless” _

Coran: “ _ Dreadful _ ”

Allura: “ _ Terrible _ ”

They didn’t stop.

“ _ Horrid” _

_ “Shameful” _

_ “Hated” _

_ “Pathetic” _

_ “Waste of Space” _

_ “Mistake” _

_ “Disgusting” _

The words swirled around Lance, filling his head with anger and rage while familiar sights made his heart ache.

They didn’t stop until Lance finally screamed for them to, begging wordlessly for that oppressive silence. He couldn’t take their words. Their taunts.

He knew it was fake.

They weren’t there.

His family would never say that to him.

But that didn’t mean that Lance didn’t wish it were them.

He could live with them hating him.

He would gladly take the abuse, the truth, if it meant that he could see them alive again.

And then he did. 

“Pidge?” Lance had whispered, cautiously looking at the small, confident hand inches from his knee. 

“ _ Lance _ ,” she’d whispered. “ _ Oh God we finally found you. _ ”

“You’re okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re okay. I’m here to take you home Lance. Just take my hand. Please, just take my hand.”

Lance hadn’t hesitated, letting his shaking hand fall into the firm grasp of his friend’s.

And then it had disappeared.

Dissolved, as a matter of fact. Lance had locked eyes with Pidge just in time to see her sudden rageful glare dissolve into dust and gore on the floor.

He’d screamed.

He’d screamed when Hunk had aged rapidly, turning to a pile of bones right before his eyes. When Keith and Shiro’s kind eyes and words switched to looks of deep hatred gutteral roars, making Lance watch as they killed each other. When Allura burst, screaming, into blue light. When Coran began sobbing, falling to the floor and melting into a bubbling puddle.

Eventually Lance stopped acknowledging his memories.

He didn’t want to make them die again.

_ Please, no. _

And that was how Lance found himself, face buried in his shaking arms. His head felt so light, like he was floating above it all, watching his friends die over and over again. A half-hysterical laugh bubbled in his chest as Shiro begged Lance to “ _ Look up, Lance. It’s us. We’re here. _ ”

_ Yeah right. _

“Nope,” he whispered. “You can’t die if I don’t look at you. You’ll have to find a new trick.”

“Lance, please. I’m not lying to you.”

“They always lie.”

Shiro sounded stricken. There was a pause. “Hunk,” he said to the silence, “I need you down here.”

That was different.

They never interacted with each other, at least, not when they were trying to trick Lance. Outside of Shiro and Keith stabbing each other, Lance had never seen two apparitions at once.

Could it be…?

No.

Don’t be stupid, Lance.

Not again.

“Lance!” Oh there was Hunk. Timely response. “Oh, oh God, buddy. Buddy, look at me. We got to go, man. We’ve only got this one shot.”

“No no no no-” Lance couldn’t stop whispering. If he stopped he’d believe. If he believed then he’d look up. If he looked up, they’d laugh and die die die die  _ die die die _ .

No.

“Nothing bad is going to happen anymore, Lance,” Shiro assured quietly. “We found you. Now it’s time to go home.”

“But we need to know if you’re okay; you gotta look at us, Lance.”

And what would the harm be in looking?

It wasn’t like he’d see anything new if he was wrong, right?

What if it was his family?

What if he hadn’t actually screwed up?

What if they weren’t dead?

_ Dios _ , what if he hadn’t lost them forever?

Maybe the universe hadn’t completely given up on him.

_ Screw it. _

He wanted to see his family again.

Lance looked up.

There was Shiro, looking so relieved. Hunk was right next to him, with the biggest grin on his face-

That grin was too wide.

Shiro’s eyes were beginning to glow. He was smiling too.

Too wide.

_ Oh Dios no- _

The grins kept getting bigger. Hunk’s eyes were also glowing. They were turning purple, turning  _ Galra _ . They were growing, much like a balloon would inflate. All discernible features morphed and warped with the unnatural expansion, and Lance’s eyes widened in horror.

He’d been wrong.

Like always.

HIs family was dead.

He’d killed them.

And now he had to watch it again.

There was blood pouring from Hunk’s misshapen nose, and from Shiro’s luminous eyes. Their grins were manic and pained now, Lance’s chest heaving more and more with every passing second.

No no no  _ nO NO- _

Not again.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

They were crying now, the sound of bones shifting and organs falling about within them making Lance nauseous as horror built in his chest.

They were yelling,  _ screaming _ for help. They cried for Lance to help them, to not fail them again.

He couldn’t help them.

Lance pressed himself against the corner he’d made his home, hands buried in his hair as he watched his nightmare unfold yet again.

_ Stop stop stop I’m sorry stop stop stop _ \- 

Lance screamed as Shiro and Hunk burst. He never felt anything, but his heart stuttered and cracked with the gasping sobs Lance didn’t even bother trying to control.

The silence was deafening.

Lance wanted to be sick.

It was too much.

No one was coming for Lance.

But he couldn’t let go.

He’d never be able to.

And because of that, Lance would forever see them. Their deaths, their smiles, their love, their hate, their fear, their pain.

Lance was going to die here with only the screams of his family to lull him into oblivion.

_ No.  _

_ No, please _ .

Desperately, Lance cast his thoughts out again. 

It was selfish, it was desperate. Lance knew that he was being ridiculous. He knew that him doing this got them all in this mess in the first place.

But he couldn’t stop himself.

_ Please please please I’m sorry I’m so sorry forgive me not again not again _

He could hear Pidge- she was back again. This time with Keith. 

He couldn’t look up. Not again.

Lance flinched at her pleading words, burying himself deeper in himself.

_ Go away go  _ away _ I’m sorry I can’t not again it should be me go away please- _

Never again.

*******

**Pidge**

“ _ We need to trust him. _ ”

Something in Pidge’s gut curled at Shiro’s chilling words. Part of it was indignance- why would Lance  _ not _ be trustworthy? It was  _ Lance _ \- while the rest of her was terrified of what Shiro might be expecting with those words. Hunk gulped next to Pidge as the two raced through the halls of the ship, not bothering to be stealth as there was no one to avoid. 

Pidge wasn’t sure if she was pleased about that, or horrified. One the one hand, there was no need for her or Hunk to worry about fighting or being slowed down by any hostiles. On the other, the cockiness Haggar was displaying with this move was  _ terrifying _ . She knew something they didn’t, and now she was gloating about it in this defense strategy. She  _ wanted _ the Paladins to win.

Pidge had never wanted a fight more.

“We’re almost to the control room,” Pidge reported breathlessly as she and Hunk dashed around another corridor. Why the architect assholes that had designed this ugly death trap thought to channel their inner Dedalus when figuring out the floorplan, Pidge didn’t know. 

She didn’t care either.

All she knew was that somewhere on this ship was Lance.

Lance needed them to come through for him, regardless of what Haggar thought she’d accomplished. 

He would be fine.

They were going to rescue his stubborn ass.

And he would be  _ fine _ .

“Pidge,” Hunk said suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts, “dead ahead.” 

She nodded wordlessly, not fully trusting her voice right then. 

Hunk seemed to understand, though, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder briefly as they entered the room fully.

“Okay.” Pidge took a deep breath as she forced herself to find her voice. “Setting down all sentry gun functions and locking down the building in thirty ticks; Shiro, Keith, get in here. I can’t access any prisoner logs, so I have no way of knowing where Lance is being- where Lance is. We’ll have to split up.”

“ _ Copy that, Pidge. Keith, on me. We’ll take one last lap around to get any stragglers and then join the others.” _

_ “You got it, Shiro _ .”

Pidge hummed quietly to herself as she tapped through all the available systems on the ship. Cell doors, lights, life support, heat (“ **_It’s cold_ ** ” Pidge shuddered and raised the thermostat as much as she could in the soldiers’ and officers’ quarters out of spite. She then set the temperature in the rest of the ship to raise slowly so that Lance could begin to get some relief while they searched for him. How dare they keep her brother like meat in a freezer. Fuck that. Fuck them), computers, corridor doors, soldier rotation schedules- clocks, ah. Blast doors.

After making sure that Shiro and Keith would have no problem finding their way in, Pidge decided to have a closer looksy through their systems.

Like she said to Shiro: she was going to fuck up their tech shit.

This was her specialty.

This she could do.

For Lance.

_ Alright asshats… Let’s see what I can do _ .

She pressed the file titled “System Management” with a sharp, pleased huff. 

_ Bingo _ .

A drop bar appeared with options ranging from room-to-room temperature and gravity controls to individual soldier alarm clocks. She’d mess with them, but this ship wasn’t going to be around long enough for any soldiers to need alarms.

A dark thought, yes.

But Pidge was in a dark place. The entire team was. No one would bat an eye at this ship becoming another pile of space rubble.

Pidge settled for a quick virus that would make the lights flicker sporadically in some rooms and cut out entirely in others for some added spice to the Galrans’ day, and then made all of their servers crash just for her own pleasure.

“Pidge!” Shiro and Keith jogged into the room at that exact moment. “Where do we need to go?”

“Good timing!” Hunk noted with a strained grin.

“This control room is basically in the middle of the ship, so we can each take a direction and find Lance that way.”

Shiro nodded. “Sounds good. Team, stay in contact. Check every room.” Keith snorted unimpressed behind the Black Paladin, and Pidge found herself agreeing. As if they wouldn’t tear this cruiser apart to find their Blue Paladin.

“Keep an eye out for the Blue Lion as well- I know Lance will be wanting her back,” Allura said warmly in the comms. It was the most positive conversation they’d had as a team in three quintants.

Pidge was actually about to remark that, because  _ someone _ needed to be the passive cynic around here, when suddenly all four Paladins were blinded by sudden pain. A wave of emotions and words attacked Pidge’s mind.

Four gasps echoed in the room.

_ Please please please I’m sorry I’m so sorry forgive me not again not again _

“Lance-” Hunk gasped, looking at the others fearfully.

“Oh God,” Shiro whispered, Galran hand denting the control panel he was leaning on.

_ Go away go  _ away _ I’m sorry I can’t not again it should be me go away please- _

“We need to find him.  _ Now _ .” No one was willing to take the time to respond to Keith. The Red Paladin didn’t even wait for them to process his words before taking off, the other three hot on his tail. 

“Keith, take the west side of the ship. Hunk, take the east. I’ll take the North. Pidge, you go South.”

They all gave quick agreements.

“We’re still blocked- there’s no way for us to talk to Lance right now. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can,” Pidge swallowed hard as she ran, “the sooner we can end this.”

_ We’re coming, Lance. We’re here. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh-ho?
> 
> What’s this?
> 
> Could it be???
> 
> A happy ending??
> 
> Haha you’ll have to wait until next chapter >:D
> 
> On the bright side, barring my family deciding to suddenly be busy for no reason, I might have the next chapter finished tomorrow.
> 
> I have it mostly written, but want to add a bit in the middle for some loose ends.
> 
> I’m excited.
> 
> Let me know what you thought!<3
> 
> Peasant Out!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I’m back!  
> Ok I’m SO sorry that took so long- school started up again and isn’t THAT a nightmare. I lost some motivation and really hated what I had to add for a few days.  
> I’ll be honest- I hate writing combat. But I love the whump  
> See where my problem lies?  
> So yeah. I needed a day or three to remember how to plot.  
> Yaaaaaay.  
> We get some Keith whump here:)  
> Oh! In this chapter we get to add the tag “dismemberment”!  
> It’s not Lance don’t worry. I won’t hurt him anymore.
> 
> I don’t own any VLD characters!

**Keith**

Keith barreled down the winding corridors, noting with concern how quiet the ship was. At best he’d hoped to hear Lance speaking, maybe doing that stupid thing where he taunts his enemies until they deck him. At worst, Keith figured he’d hear screaming.

He never expected silence.

Silence was… a new idea to associate with Lance. Lance was loud. Lance was… exuberant. Lance was the life of their little party. Keith usually found it grating, but lately, he’d found himself really missing that endless cheer and light and sound from the Blue Paladin.

Hopefully, things were only silent because Keith was in the wrong quadrant of the ship.

_Hopefully_.

Keith got to the edge of the hallway, checking each door with little care for stealth or finesse. Nothing.

Okay. Time to move on.

And then he heard it.

A shout.

An angry, enraged, pained, _desperate_ cry of “ _STOP!_ ”

Oh God; that was Lance.

_Oh God; he’d found Lance._

_Why was Lance yelling “STOP”?_

Oh, God.

Keith ran down the hall, skidding around a corner to where he heard the shout originate from.

“Lance?!” Keith yelled back. “Lance?! _Lance!_ Lance, answer me!”

“ _Keith?!”_ Shiro prompted in his ears.

“I’ve found Lance! Find the Blue Lion so we can get out of here!”

“ _I’m coming your way, Keith_ ,” Hunk said, completely ignoring Keith.

It was probably for the best. Lance might need more help as far as transport goes than Keith could give.

“Lance?!” Keith raced back down the hall, not bothering to respond to his teammate; they knew he heard them. “Where are you, buddy?”

A weak moan rolled down the hall. 

Keith skidded to a stop in front of the final door. It was rusty and dark, with no light coming from within. He slammed his fist into the control panel, not waiting for the door to fully open before sliding in.

“ _Shit_ ,” he whispered as a gust of cold air hit him. “It’s like a freezer in here. Coran,” he said to the Altean listening, “can the pods handle hypothermia?”

_“It might take an adjustment, but yes. I’ll make sure they can_.” No one else commented on that, and for that Keith was grateful.

“Lance?” Keith called softly, stepping into the frigid room. “Lance, are you-”

“No.” Lance’s sudden groan had Keith walking ever faster to his friend’s side. Lance was curled in a ball in the furthest corner of the room. His head was buried in his hands and he was trembling. A puddle of blood was drying in the frigid air all around him, and Keith shuddered at the realization of how dangerous things were getting for Lance. 

“Lance, Lance, it’s me. We found you. Now it’s time to-” Keith reached out to touch the Blue Paladin’s shaking shoulder, but fell back a step when Lance flinched violently.

“ _Don’t touch me_ ,” he hissed tearfully. Keith’s eyes widened.

“Lance, I’m not going to hurt you. I- I would never hurt you.”

“It’s not me I’m scared for. They never hurt me.”

What?

“They? Who’s they?”

“The others,” Lance answered simply. A small laugh shook his words.

“Lance. Lance, look at me. I’m real. I don’t know who ‘they’ are bu-”

“ _No no no no_ -” Lance was shaking even more, head twisting in his hands violently. Keith stared on in horror, unsure if he should reach out and stabilize the distraught teen. “You’re _dead_. You’re dead. They’re all dead.” He was quiet for a moment. “And if I look up you’re going to die again. I don’t want you to die again, Keith. I kept looking up and you’d die because I wanted to see you all again even though it’s all _my_ f-fault. I’m so sorry. I won’t do it again; you won’t die again-”

“Lance, please! Just look at me and I’ll prove it. I won’t die, I promise!” Keith never thought he would ever have to say something like that.

“That’s what Shiro said too. But he was a trick. You’re all a trick and it’s all my _fault_. You keep dying and it’s my _fault_ because I messed up. It should have been _me_ ; I’m _so sorry it’s all my fault_ -”

Holy shit.

“You’ve been seeing illusions, haven’t you?” Keith asked softly, not acknowledging the dead silence from all of the others. No doubt they could hear everything that was happening. Lance nodded in his arms. “Okay. Did you ever talk with the, uh, the others?” A shake of the head. 

“Usually they just ask me to look up and then I do and they… they die.”

“Every time?” Oh, fuck. Another nod. 

“It’s never the same. Last time you fell apart.” Keith swallowed thickly at Lance’s casual reply. “Like… like Keith-Jenga.”

He was going to _kill_ that bitch.

“Okay,” he said hollowly, trying to keep calm. “If I, uh, if I were a trick, what would I not know? What’s something that only the real Keith would know?” Was it his best tactic? No. But he was panicking and Lance was getting fainter by the second and he was _bleeding- he was bleeding too much fuck shit dammit they needed to get out of here now-_

“I say ‘Vol’, you say?” The question is so quiet that Keith nearly misses it in his panic.

“A- _what_? Voltron. Listen, we don’t have time so plea-”

“ _Keith_.” Keith cuts himself off at the fervent whisper from Lance. Teary blue eyes are locked on his, expression disbelieving and so, _so_ open and vulnerable.

“Lance?”

“Oh, oh _Dios_ , Keith. Keith-” Lance was openly sobbing then, Keith unable to keep his own eyes in check from the relief at finally finding Lance. “You’re really here. I didn’t- oh _fuck_ \- you’re all- are you all-”

“We’re all okay, Lance. I told you: ‘you saved us’. Let’s get you home, yeah?”

Lance nodded mutely, taking Keith’s outstretched hand in his freezing one. Keith grasped it warmly, hauling Lance up as gently as he could.

Lance, of course, obviously crumpled to his knees with a pained shout, gasping and holding his side tightly. His face was tight and drawn with pain.

_That was stupid. Keith, you dolt, what were you_ thinking _?_

“Lance!” Keith cried! “Sorry, that was- that was stupid of me. Are you-”

“I’m fine. I’m fine, Keith,” Lance waved him off in between gasps. “I just… Just need a… need a minute… sorry-”

“Lance! Keith! I heard shouting!” Hunk suddenly called from the doorway. “What happened?! Are you okay? Oh my God-”

“Hunk… hey-hey man. Missed you, budd...y…” Keith leaped forward, barely managing to catch Lance as his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed fully into the Red Paladin’s arms. Hunk raced forward to their side, falling to his knees beside the two.

“Oh, Lance,” he whimpered quietly, hands ghosting uncertainly over his friend’s unconscious form.

“Can you carry him?” Keith asked urgently. Hunk nodded wordlessly, taking his limp friend into his arms as gently as Keith had ever seen him.

“Let’s go,” Hunk said simply once he’d gotten Lance situated comfortably. Keith nodded once. 

“Shiro, we’re headed your way.”

“ _Good. We’ve located the Blue Lion. I’ll take the Black Lion around and pick her up.”_

“ _Aye- aye. Keith, Hunk, I’m heading your way.”_

“Hey, Pidge, before you get here,” Keith began, stopping suddenly. Hunk kept going at a nod from Keith.

“ _Yeah?_ ”

“Is the witch still here?” He had some time to kill.

And Keith couldn’t think of a better way to spend that time than on that _bitch_.

“ _Way ahead of you. She’s on the bridge, but moving away quickly.”_

“ _I’ll be there in a tick._ Do not _engage yet._ ”

“Shiro?”

“What about the Blue Lion?” Hunk asked.

“ _I’ll get her once we’re done here,_ ” Shiro answered simply, no one missing the anger simmering beneath his words.

And they all knew who it was directed towards.

“But-” Keith began impatiently.

“ _You’re not the only one who wants a piece of that witch.”_

Keith grinned ferally. “Copy that, Shiro. Hurry.” Keith broke into a run, following the map that suddenly appeared in his visor thanks to Pidge.

“ _Hey, Keith?_ ” Pidge said quickly.

“Yeah?”

“ _Give her a ‘fuck you’ from me?_ ”

“Yeah.” Keith twirled his marmoran blade expertly in his hands, itching for a fight. “I think that can be arranged.”

“Keith!’ Shiro called, jogging up behind the teen. _Finally_. “Okay, Pidge, you and Hunk get to your Lions and clear out. Hunk, get Lance to the Castle and get him there _now_. Pidge will cover you and assist where needed.”

“ _Aye-aye!_ ” Pidge chirped.

“ _Be careful, you two,_ ” Hunk cautioned. “ _And… and give her hell from me._ ”

Shiro smirked darkly. “We will. Good luck, Hunk.” 

“ _I’ll come back once we’ve gotten Lance fixed up. I need to see this through.”_

“Pidge…”

_“Shiro, don’t you dare take this chance from me. She’s going to pay.”_

“I have a better idea,” Keith interjected, looking up at Shiro evenly. He nodded in a “go ahead” gesture.

_“I’m listening._ ”

“How would you like to be in charge of blowing this place to high hell?”

Pidge’s reply was instant.

“ _Fuck yes. I’m in._ ”

The comms clicked out, likely because Pidge and Hunk had opened their own separate comms channel to get Lance home. Keith didn’t mind- he’d prefer to have his attention solely on the task at hand. 

Hunk and Pidge would re-enter the conversation should something… bad happen.

So, in this case, no news was _really_ good news. 

“You ready?” Keith asked Shiro.

The older man nodded. “Let’s go.”

***

Shiro and Keith were nearly to Haggar’s location when a brute of a Galran stepped into their path, a knowing smile on his face.

“Greetings, Paladins.” He looked around. “Are you lost?”

Keith’s grip on his knife tightened.

He knew that voice.

So did Shiro.

“ _You_ ,” Keith hissed, stepping forward instinctively.

It was the Galran that tortured Lance. The Galran that held him in a room blindfolded and bleeding. The Galran that told Lance that he killed his own family. The Galran that _laughed_ while Lance’s world came crashing down.

Fuck. No.

Shiro got into an offensive position, ready to take this guy on right alongside Keith.

“No,” Keith snapped, not breaking eye contact with the monster in front of him. The Galran grinned, no doubt knowing exactly what was going on in Keith’s head. “He’s mine.”

“Keith-”

“Go get that bitch. I’ll join you when I’m done here.”

“Keith…”

“Shiro. You _heard_ what he did. You heard what he said to Lance _._ This… this _monster_ isn’t making it off this ship alive. He’s _mine_. Go.” Keith sneered at the Galran. “I won’t be long.”

Shiro nodded once before backing up the way he came to take an alternate route to Haggar.

The moment he was out of sight, Keith lunged forward, aiming for the Galran’s gut.

_What was it Lance called him? Batman?_

_Right._

Batman dodged back, bringing up an arm to swat Keith’s blade to the side. With a grunt, Keith kept the momentum, ramming his shoulder into Batman. The Galran let out a mighty _oof_ , falling back several steps and drawing out a retractable rod.

_A nightstick_ , Keith realized.

Pfft. Adorable.

“You’re going to pay for what you did to him,” Keith hissed.

Batman smirked. “I didn’t do anything. _You’re_ the ones that abandoned him. _You’re_ the ones that left him in my grasp.”

Keith glared, rearing back to charge again. “That’s not true!” 

“Isn’t it though? At least, as far as your little friend is concerned?” He and Keith clashed weapons, sparks flying as they broke apart and traded blows back and forth. Keith ducked under a wide swipe, swooping in and slicing at the Galran’s knees. Batman roared as Keith’s blade cut through the weaker uniform on his legs.

“That doesn’t matter. We got him back. We _won_ ,” Keith growled. The Red Paladin feinted to the right before sliding beneath Batman, ramming an elbow into the crook of his bulky knee. The Galran fell in a lunge, caught off guard, and dropped his nightstick in favor of stopping himself from falling on his face.

Keith whirled to his feet, bringing his blade to a sudden stop in front of Batman’s throat.

“You didn’t _break_ him,” Keith murmured in the Galran's large, furry ear. “You _failed_.” 

There was no sound at Keith stood, shaking with rage and adrenaline as he held his sword levelly. Batman’s adam’s apple bobbed once.

Then the corridor was filled with _laughter._

Raucous, cacophonous, roaring, _laughter._

The Red Paladin reared back, keeping his sword in place, as Batman was overcome with mirth.

“Oh, dear Paladin,” he chuckled, “you think we’ve lost?”

In a fluid, blindingly fast movement, Batman reached back, grabbing Keith’s calf and rising to his feet. The Paladin was yanked from the ground and hurled across the corridor.

“I think you need a dose of reality,” the Galran observed blithely. “Your precious friend is far beyond any help now.”

*******

**_Shiro_ **

According to Pidge’s map, Haggar was located in a gathering hall in the Western Corridor. Large archways decorated the circumference of the round chamber, casting eerie shadows from the purple lights located beneath each structure. A light mist drifted through the air, gathering in above the floor for… Haggar’s need to maintain an aesthetic? Shiro couldn’t really say that he cared. In the center sat a raised ring of floor, a cracked and speckled blemish amid the sterile room. It wasn’t very high, maybe six inches maximum.

Shiro thought that it was quite fitting that Haggar was in the middle of this ugly accent. Haggar grinned as Shiro entered the room, a feral look that twisted her features coldly.

“Welcome,” she purred. “I’ve missed you, Champion.”

Shiro swallowed hard. Reflexively, his Galran arm lit up a blazing purple. He flexed his hand, trying to focus his mind on the task at hand. There was purple clawing at his vision. With the purple came darkness and pain. And fear. And death. And anger. It was all around him; boxing him- no, _caging_ him in and suffocating the Black Paladin. There was no escaping it, no escaping _her_ and her experiments and commands and magic and her _Champio_ -

So, no addressing the purple.

The purple could be addressed later. 

This was for Lance. 

For what she did to him.

His _friend._

No way was she getting away with it. 

“What?” Haggar quirked her head innocently. “No back-up? I thought for _sure_ that Red Paladin of yours would be follow-”

Shiro charged, not really caring what Haggar had to say about Shiro’s current status as far as teammates goes. He brought his hand back, swiping it forward in a horizontal arc.

It phased right through Haggar’s head.

She disappeared in a plume of smoke.

_Dammit_. Shiro spun in a circle, trying to see where the witch had gone. Nothing. 

A _whoosh_ from above was his only warning.

Shiro stumbled back, a plume of fire lighting the ground in front of him. “ _Shit!_ ” he yelped, looking up frantically to see where the fire came from. There. That little ledge two stories up- that must be where she’s hiding. 

“Stop playing games, Haggar!” Shiro growled. “You’ve lost!”

“You always were prone to wishful thinking, my Champion.” Haggar’s chuckle echoed above. “But I’m afraid that you are mistaken once again.” Shiro mentally winced at the reminder of that dreadful call with Haggar several vargas ago.

Had it really been only a few vargas? 

“You’re wrong there. Lance is strong- he’ll be fine.”

“True. Your Blue Paladin proved to be… much more resilient than I’d anticipated. However,” she cooed, still not moving the perch that Shiro had no way of reaching, “ _nothing_ is infallible. Not Voltron, not your rebellion, not even your _friendship_.”

Shiro stopped moving, trying to understand what she was saying.

“The Blue Paladin was fine against my lightning, yes. But he was no match for his own mind. I trust you heard what he told your little red friend?”

**_“That’s what Shiro said too. But he was a trick. You’re all a trick and it’s all my fault. You keep dying and it’s my fault because I messed up. It should have been me; I’m so sorry it’s all my fault-”_ **

“No,” Shiro shook his head. “You’re wrong- he’s _fine_. Hunk is getting him to the Castle as we speak-”

“ _Shiro!_ ” Keith suddenly growled in the comms. Shiro cut off, instantly focused on the commotion in his ear. 

“Keith? What’s wrong?”

“ _He’s- aug!”_

“Keith?! Keith!” Haggar appeared suddenly behind Shiro, grabbing his wrist with scalding hands and twisting his flesh arm behind him. Agony shot through the limb as Shiro forced himself to pivot and swipe behind him. He connected with the cloth of cloak and closed his fist as quickly as he could. Haggar yelped as he yanked forward, sending her sprawling forward. She disappeared into thin air before she could it the ground, however.

“ _Where are your friends, Red Paladin?_ ”

Oh shit.

“Keith! Keith, I’m on my way!” Shiro exclaimed, making a beeline for the door.

“ _Shiro, get Haggar. I’ll be fin-”_

Comms cut out. 

Double shit.

Shiro whipped around, seeing Haggar once more behind him. Her eyes were wider, more manic, than they had been when Shiro saw her holding Lance prisoner. He snarled, advancing on her quickly. Her hands lit up, twin beams of lightning arcing through the air towards his head. He twisted, leaping over one and ducking another to catch Haggar’s shocked face with his fist. She stumbled back, falling to the floor to grin up at Shiro.

“Doesn’t matter what you do to me, my Champion,” she spat. “It won’t save your Blue Paladin. And it won’t save _Keith.”_

Shiro stiffened. “What?”

“Now you must choose. Avenge your dear, precious _Lance,_ or save your little red friend.”

“I-”

“Tick tock. Things are _not_ looking good for poor Keith.”

**_“You’re dead. You’re dead. They’re all dead.”_ **

Shiro growled a curse under his breath, giving Haggar one last glare that promised _later_ and sprinted out of the room.

_I’m sorry, Lance._

*******

**_Keith_ **

Keith dangled from Batman’s grip, lazily swaying back and forth as his brain and stomach fought to align themselves. 

“I think you need a dose of reality,” the Galran observed blithely. “Your precious friend is far beyond any help now.”

“Fuck you!” Keith spat.

“What a strong comeback, Paladin! I can see that you have complete faith in your friend and his mental state!”

Keith froze. That… that was an excellent point. Keith hadn’t even thought about where Lance’s mind might be after all this.

That fucker was going _down_ for it because he was _wrong,_ obviously, but Keith definitely needed to talk to Shiro when this was all over. He’d be better equipped to… you know, handle that.

Speaking of.

Time to end this. Shiro no doubt was missing the backup.

_Why in hell did I leave him to take on Haggar alone?!_

Today was not the day for Keith’s thought process, apparently.

Keith, now on his feet a safe distance away, fell back into a defensive stance. He clutched his marmoran blade securely in his hand, ready. Batman could make the first move. And that would be his _only_ move. Keith’s eyes flickered around, trying to guess what the Galran would do. Would he charge? Use the nightstick? Draw another kind of weapon?

Batman pulling out a gun had not been on Keith’s list of “Things I Expected to Go Wrong” (Lance and Pidge were proud co-owners of that list and enjoyed adding things to it mid-battle).

Three things happened in very quick succession:

Firstly, Batman fired.

Secondly, Keith summoned and hurled his bayard towards the tall Galran.

Thirdly, the two projectiles collided midair and were sent off-course.

The only significant difference from here being that Keith’s sword was sent spiraling _away_ from Batman.

The shot, however, was _not._

On the bright side, it didn’t hit it’s intended target of Keith’s _head_. On the downside, Keith’s left calf was not nearly as lucky. 

Keith jumped back on his right, gritting his teeth as tears sprang to his eyes. His blade fell to the ground, leaving Keith defenseless. He didn’t have the awareness to really be bummed about that though because, well-

Fucking _ow_.

Batman laughed, tossing the gun down in favor of gesturing for Keith to come at him.

Smug asshole.

Keith took a second to make sure his leg wouldn’t fall off if he abused it for a brief battle.

It would be fine.

Yay Galran genes?

Keith raced (fast-limped, a voice in his head chuckled passively) to Batman, throwing his weight forward into a solid right hook. Batman, of course, caught it in a meaty fist and swung Keith around. Stars danced in the teen’s eyes as his head collided with the wall Batman pinned him against.

_Ow._

Keith struggled as a hand clamped around his neck and another slammed his captive fist into the wall above his head. His left hand scrabbled at Batman’s large one, Keith gritting out a strainged “Shiro!”

The response was immediate.

_“Keith? What’s wrong?”_

“He’s- aug!” Batman took this time to release Keith’s right fist and go for the Red Paladin’s ribs. He tried to double over, but the hand held him in place. To compensate Keith’s lack of movement, the Galran decided to bring Keith away from the wall to slam him back into it. Hard.

Way to not succeed, Kogane.

_“Keith?! Keith!”_ Keith grunted at Shiro’s sudden yell of pain. He must be in over his head as well.

_Shiiiit_.

Batman chuckled as Keith kicked out weakly at him, none of his hits connecting. He still wasn’t able to dislodge the massive hand clutching his neck.

“Where are your friends, Red Paladin?” he grinned. Keith glared back, desperately trying to think of another way out of here. His head was spinning, vision growing dark in the corners.

_Dammit dammit dammit-_

This really wasn’t their best plan.

_“Keith! Keith, I’m on my way!”_ Well, at least one of them was functioning. Keith growled, thanking his flexible genes for emerging once again as he managed to wrap his legs around Batman's elbow, forcing the limb to bend. He didn’t let go, but his grip decreased _juuust_ enough for Keith to do important things like, you know, _breath._

He and Shiro knew fully that this wouldn’t begin to end until that bitch was dead. 

Keith could handle this.

“Shiro, get Haggar. I’ll be fine!” Keith said, eyes lighting up as inspiration struck. He gave up on trying to dislodge the choking grip around his neck in favor of dropping his legs and wrapping one of his hands around the Galran’s, holding tight. His opponent looked on in bemusement, not understanding why Keith was suddenly grinning like a madman.

“Give up, Paladin?”

“Not on your life,” Keith snarled. “Best hold on tight.” 

It was a dumb plan, okay?

Keith wasn’t entirely sure that it would work.

But he’d told Shiro to stay away and Keith was having trouble seeing past the dots flickering in his vision.

So, dumb plan.

Keith moved his free hand, the one not clutching Batman’s wrist, below the Galrans arm, somewhere between his elbow and his wrist. Then, he activated his shield.

The blue shape expanded rapidly, flashing through the air as it summoned. 

It _also_ flashed through Batman’s _arm_.

Score one for Keith’s dumb plan, then. 

The Galran roared with agony as Keith, and his captive arm, fell to the floor in a heap. 

Keith ripped the dismembered limb from his neck with a gasp, chucking it weakly towards the shrieking commander as he stumbled around the hall like a chicken with its… _arm_ cut off? His helmet was too constricting, so Keith forced shaking hands to remove the offending headwear.

Thank fuck for air. Honestly. Keith sucked in greedy breaths, noting with some displaced humor that the Galran had now fallen over and was staring at the limb at his feet with immense horror. 

The limb that Keith removed.

_Holy shit Keith had just cut off a Galran’s arm._

_And he hadn’t even used a_ sword.

Batman was still yelling wordlessly when Shiro skidded around the corner, eyes wide and worried as he took in the horrific scene in front of him. 

“Keith- wha-?”

“ _You,_ ” Batman growled, clutching his new stump fiercely. Keith winced internally, realizing that this might not be the best thing for Shiro to suddenly stumble upon. 

Whoops. 

“You will pay for what you’ve done!” Batman roared, ignoring Shiro in favor of advancing on the still downed Paladin. Keith blinked twice, realizing with a start that Batman was talking to him.

Frankly, that made a lot more sense than the Galran yelling about his loss of hand to Shiro. And, on the bright side, that meant he wasn’t going for Shir-

_Oh shit he’s coming for me!_

Keith tried to get up from the lump he’d become, leaning against the wall. He couldn’t get his feet beneath him though. He settled for letting his feet slump out in front of him as Shiro bellowed out “Pick on someone your own size!”

Cliche much? 

Regardless, it got Batman’s attention. The large Galran whipped around, not breaking pace as he pivoted towards Keith’s pseudo-brother. 

That wasn’t good. Shiro wasn’t focused on the fight- not with the way his gaze kept flicking Keith’s way. His flesh arm didn’t seem right. Shiro winced minutely every time he moved it.

This wouldn’t end well. 

Keith needed to do something. 

Shiro and Batman clashed in a flurry of fists and purple light and agonized roars. The latter was Batman. Shiro didn’t roar. He sort of... groaned? 

Whatever. 

So far, Shiro was winning. 

Hooray! 

But he was tiring quickly- Keith could see the strain in his eyes.

Alright, Kogane. Time for a quick game of I Spy.

There has to be a way to help.

_I spy with my Galran eye (haha)..._

_My leg (ow that really hurts)_

_The floor._

_The wall_

_Shiro._

_Batman._

_Batman’s nightstick_

_Batman’s arm (ew)_

_Batman’s gun._

_Batman’s-_

**_Batman’s gun!_ **

Keith stared at the firearm for the briefest tick, trying to get his muddled brain to come to terms with the fact that this was in fact what was going on.

He could get the gun.

Yeah. 

_Keith, get the gun._

_Okay._

...he had to move to get the gun, didn’t he.

With a sigh, Keith let his head loll forward and allowed his body to roll with it. He shuffled along the floor behind the fighting adults ten feet from him. His leg howled with agony, but in a distanced way. He wasn’t really processing it.

Yet.

Keith’s fingers fumbled with the gun, trying to remember what Lance had told him about handling a long-range weapon. 

“ _It’s easy, man. Just point, breathe, and pull the trigger,”_ _Lance grinned. His eyes widened dramatically. “You know where the trigger is, right?”_

_“I know where the trigger is!” Keith snapped, yanking the weapon away._

_“Okay, okay.” Lance held his hands up in surrender. “Just making sure.”_

_“I’m not completely inept.”_

_“One: good word. Two: if you’re so certain, have at it.”_

_Lance wouldn’t shut up the entire evening about how “-he missed all eight shots! Didn’t even come close! Keith, buddy, you’re an amazing swordsman. A fabulous close-ranged fighter. But_ duuuude _-”_

Keith grinned lazily, staring at the gun as his fuzzing vision.

He might have a head wound.

Hah.

_Ah! There’s the trigger!_

Keith adjusted his grip on the blaster, holding it up like he could remember Lance doing. He placed his finger on the trigger, trying to blink away the fuzziness and focus on Batman. He didn’t want to hit Shiro- that would be _bad_. 

No hitting Shiro.

Maybe Lance would stop teasing him if he hit this one.

Keith couldn’t wait to have Lance around the Castle again.

He’d missed his friend.

Okay. Plan. If Keith hit this shot, and if Lance didn’t hate them all for leaving him, Keith would take shooting lessons with Lance _every damn quintant._

_Fuck_. What if Lance hated them all?!

What if he never forgave them?!

What if … what if-

“ _Just point, breathe, and pull the trigger.”_

_Breathe, Keith. Breathe._

Okay, so Batman was the big purple blob, yes?

Cool.

Keith pointed the blaster towards the Big Purple Blob. 

He breathed.

He fired.

The Big Purple Blob fell.

Yay:)

Suddenly Shiro was in Keith’s face, metal hand ghosting through Keith’s bangs, asking a torrent of questions like “Are you alright?” “Did he hurt you?” “Can you hear me?”

“ _Guys! I’ve got the base rigged to blow,”_ Pidge suddenly called. “ _You need to get out of there now!”_

“We haven’t gotten Haggar yet, Pidge,” Keith muttered. Shiro looked at him like he’d grown a second head. 

“Keith,” he said patiently, “you’re in no condition to fight right now. You’ve got a possible,” Shiro paused, drawing his finger across Keith’s vision, “ _d_ _efinite_ concussion. We need to retreat.”

“But Haggar-”

“ _Leave her. We need you here.”_

“What happened?” Shiro asked, hearing the fear in Pidge’s voice. Keith found himself sobering at Hunk’s muffled sob.

“ _Lance isn’t breathing.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha remember when I said I wouldn’t hurt Lance anymore?  
> I might have lied?  
> Writing concussed Keith Kogane is the most fun thing I’ve done all week.  
> What were your thoughts on it? Did I write him too open?  
> Ok but real talk: Writing “Yay:)” as Keith’s internal monologue is the best thing I’ve done all year.  
> I don’t know when this takes place- sometime late season two maybe?  
> I have NO clue.  
> I tried.  
> I really rewrote the Haggar VS Shiro four times. First I had Shiro and Keith facing her together. Then I had Shiro completely falling apart. Then I had Shiro killing her and rushing to help Keith. Then I had Keith and Pidge joining Shiro after a bit of fighting.  
> It was a whole process.  
> Stay cool, guys! Stay safe!  
> I’ll see you next chapter!  
> Peasant out!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND WE’RE BACK!  
> Hi. ‘Tis I. The frenchiest fry.  
> I have a nice long author’s note at the end with some, I think, important info for you guys, so LET’S GET TO IT!!  
> TW here for some possible graphic CPR? Maybe?  
> Honestly I don’t know. But we get Hunk and Pidge being themselves and casually worried team for some spice.  
> There might be a piggy back ride.  
> MAAAAAAAAAAAAYBE
> 
> No one thought to buy me the rights to Voltron and all its characters. So I still own nothing. 
> 
> I know. I’m as disappointed as you are.
> 
> You all know I’m a horrendously awful typist; all mistakes (and I’m sure there are plenty, despite my best efforts and proofreads) are my own.

**_Hunk_ **

Hunk watched with quiet triumph and no small amount of worry as Keith barreled down the corridor towards the coordinates Pidge provided before heading towards Yellow. Shiro chimed in, informing the others that he’d be joining the Red Paladin, which made Hunk feel loads better.

Not that he didn’t trust Keith to stay safe. 

But Keith had had a stressful three quintants. He was the one who’d locked himself on the training deck. He was the one who’d figured out how to find Lance. He was the one who’d had to coax Lance back to them, to explain to Hunk’s best friend that he hadn’t been abandoned and that he hadn’t been -- Hunk swallowed reflexively -- responsible for Voltron’s death.

Hunk’s blood boiled at the thought of getting his hands on the slimeball Galra that had-

Lance murmured quietly in Hunk’s arms, the Blue Paladin readjusting to curl towards Hunk subconsciously. Hunk’s anger evaporated as he accommodated, hugging the limp form closer to his chest.

A private channel opened on the comms, Hunk able to hear the different click. It was Pidge.

_“Hunk, I’m almost to my Lion,”_ she reported. _“Is Lance…?”_

Hunk smiled grimly, forgetting that Pidge couldn’t see him before shaking his head briskly. “He’ll be okay,” he promised. “He’ll be just fine.”

  
  


***

Yellow greeted Hunk warmly, but urgently. 

**_Hurry, Paladin,_ ** she whispered. **_Hurry._ **

“Let’s go,” Hunk answered, realizing at that moment that he didn’t have a way to keep Lance safe the entire ride.

**_Lion will drive. Care for Blue Paladin._ **

“Are you sure?” In answer, a little table popped into existence to the side of the piloting cabin. Hunk grinned, silently thanking Yellow. “You’re the best.”

Lance didn’t react beyond a pained hum as Hunk laid the teen down as gently as he could manage on the… the Space Cot. Hunk bit his lip, knowing that Lance would love that name, but also mourning that his friend wasn’t the one to come up with it.

It was dumb, he knew that. He had bigger things to worry about, bigger fish to fry than a word game Lance and Pidge had invented.

But… it hurt. It hurt seeing Lance so quiet, so hurt, so _still._ It had only been three quintants.

But that was three quintants too long. 

This never should have happened.

Hunk shook off the angry thoughts quickly, forcing himself to remain on task.

**_Ready, Paladin?_ **

“Yes,” Hunk responded firmly. “We’re ready.”

Yellow took off faster than Hunk had ever imagined. Hunk found himself thanking every deity, every star, every planet he could think of for his girl understanding. He also filed it away for later -- who knew what else he and Yellow could do? 

“Pidge,” he called, “how’s it going out there?” 

_“All’s quiet on my end. Looks like all the assholes retreated.”_

“Somehow I imagined you’d sound happier about that.”

_“Normally? Yeah. Right now I’m in the mood to ruin some days.”_

Hunk closed his eyes, hearing the waver in the girl’s voice. “Me too,” he murmured.

Pidge didn’t comment on the barely controlled anger in Hunk’s words. _“He’ll be fine,”_ she said quietly. Who she was reassuring, Hunk didn’t know. _“Team Punk’s got this.”_

Hunk grinned. “Hell yes.”

Pidge gasped theatrically. _“What’s this I hear? Profanity? From our resident pure soul? I’m_ astounded.” Hunk laughed then, a sharp, almost feral thing.

“I regret nothing.”

_“Rebel.”_

**_***_ **

**_Pidge_ **

“How’s Lance?” Pidge asked after a moment.

_“He’s…”_ Hunk sighed helplessly. _“God, Pidge, I can’t believe he’s really here.”_

“I know how you mean,” Pidge hummed. She leaned over to a display to her left, fingers flying over the screen. She wouldn’t have the chance to go back to the base and light it up. There was no way she’d be leaving Lance once they got to the Castle.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to give those purple assholes a piece of her mind. 

Pidge tapped into her back door in the Galran defenses- she and Green had been working on their Galran database infiltration. She’d gotten it to the point that she could manipulate specific bases after she hacked the main source.

At the moment, she was turning the main bridge lights on and off sporadically, as well as lights in the rooms all around the hellhole. She did avoid the zone Keith and Shiro were near, however, to prevent hindering the two. 

After that got boring, Hunk continuing a steady stream of small talk in her ear (she stayed with him, making sure that he knew she was listening), Pidge swiped back to a main systems control list, looking for the generators. With some quick strokes, the Green Paladin was able to make a kill switch that would cause the generators to overheat rapidly. Once the generators reached a certain temperature, she could create a trigger that would tell the reactor core of the ship (she was assuming it was a balmeran crystal, or something like that. The Galra had proven they could corrupt and manipulate them, maybe that was their power source?) to malfunction.

In short, she hit that button, bye bye bastards.

Green purred quietly in Pidge’s mind, enjoying the alliteration.

A display to Pidge’s right lit up bright red. 

_Hostiles_.

“Hunk!” Pidge called, feeling bad that she was interrupting him, “You’ve got incoming on your six.”

_“What do I do?!”_

“Take care of Lance -- see if you can find a way to tend to his… his wounds.” Pidge grasped the controls in front of her tightly, eyes narrowing as she maneuvered into view of the bogeys. “I’ll take care of this.”

**_***_ **

**_Hunk_ **

Hunk squeezed Lance’s hand gently, telling himself that Lance would be fine if he left his side for a few ticks, although his gut clenched at having to release pressure on the wound on Lance’s side. The bleeding had slowed, but not nearly to the point of it being remotely safe.

The fact that he hadn’t thought to treat Lance already had Hunk’s palms sweating guiltily. Why hadn’t he already done that?! Lance was _injured._ Holding his hand wasn’t going to do Hunk’s best friend any good!!

The telltale sounds of battle, muffled in Yellow’s cockpit, told Hunk how things were going with Pidge.

With any luck, she was giving those… those _monsters_ a taste of their own medicine.

It didn’t take much searching before Hunk located his bandage stash. One of these days he’d have to go through the medical supplies, take stock in the event of an emergency that required more than bandages. 

Hopefully that day was not today.

Lance was… covered in wounds. Scrapes, cuts, burns, bruises, _too much._ Dried blood spilled from his… everywhere, actually. Most alarming were his wrists _(God, his wrists),_ collarbone, and side. Hunk bit his lip, trying to decide how to best address the still oozing wounds.

Honestly at this point he was thanking his lucky stars that there wasn’t an infection. 

“Okay, buddy,” he said quietly. “I’d like to apologize in advance. This is going to hu-”

_“Hunk. Blood loss does not wait for apologies. Bandage first, ask for consent after.”_

“That’s -- that’s _really_ not how it works, Pidge.”

Pidge paused. _“Shit. I-_ Dammit _you know what I meant. Always ask for consent that-- that’s important. You know I didn’t mean_ that, _that’s so_ dumb _that people even consider- I--”_

“You’re rambling, Pidge,” Hunk chided softly, biting back a laugh. It wasn’t often the genius got flustered. “I appreciate the clarification.”

_“Right.”_

Hunk gently placed two gauze pads on the wound, spanning what he could see beneath the torn fabric. They were close enough to the Castle that Hunk didn’t see anything beneficial that would come out of him taking the time to cut away Lance’s flight suit. All that that would accomplish would be to disturb his friend, and no way was Hunk doing that.

The collarbone was… interesting. He ended up gently folding some long bandages and pressing them on the wound with a sticky gauze patch. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than the puddle of blood adorning Lance’s battered chest.

Lance looked peaceful. Hunk had missed that. Missed the nightly sleepovers, and daytime shenanigans. Missed seeing his friend at ease.

They hadn’t been like that in so long.

Maybe Hunk was partially to blame.

Scratch that: he was _entirely_ to blame.

Lance was never too busy for Hunk. But Hunk couldn’t think of a recent interaction where Lance sought Hunk out for something other than a stress break for the Yellow Paladin. Nor could he recall searching out his friend for something beneficial to the both of them. Hunk’s eyes widened as he secured the bandage in place. Had he made himself so unavailable that his best friend didn’t feel comfortable coming to him? 

_“Stop that.”_ Hunk jumped, startled. 

“Stop what?”

_“I can hear you wallowing from here. Quit it. Focus on --_ shit _\-- focus on Lance!”_

“Pidge?!” Hunk yelped. “You okay?!” Explosions sounded in the comms and Hunk winced, nearly dropping the roll of bandages in his hand.

_“Haha take that, fuckers!”_

That was a yes then. 

Lance didn’t stir as Hunk gently lifted his left wrist, dabbing the dripping wounds. Hunk’s gut clenched painfully, tears gathering in his eyes. 

“Alright, man. Let’s make this quick.”

The bandages were already stained red by the time Hunk finished wrapping the abused wrists and set the excess cloth aside. Luckily, they wouldn’t have to hold long. Already, Yellow was happily purring that the Castle was close. 

“Pidge? How are you doing?”

_“Hostiles taken care of,”_ she reported happily. _“How’s Lance?”_

“He’s as good as I could get him,” Hunk sighed.

_“Hey. What’d I say about wallowing?”_ Pidge teased. Hunk quirked a smile.

“I know, I know. He’ll be okay.”

_“Like I said: Team Punk’s got this.”_

Hunk hailed the Castleship. “Coran! Coran, Pidge and I are nearly to you.”

_“Roger that, Number Two! We’re all ready for you!”_

_“Did you encounter any trouble?”_ Allura chimed in. Pidge answered smugly.

_“No. Just some therapeutic bonding with Green.”_

Hunk laughed at that, closing his eyes and enjoying the peaceful silence of his ship. Everything would be okay now. 

_Wait._

Yellow’s cabin was silent.

Why was it silent?

_Oh God._

“Lance?!” Hunk choked out, hands shooting to Lance’s neck. 

_He couldn’t feel anything._

_Why couldn’t he feel anything?!_

  
  


Hunk leaned over, placing his ear over Lance’s nose. 

Nothing.

_“Hunk?!”_ Three voices echoed in Hunk’s ear. Yellow roared worriedly in his mind. 

_“Hunk! What’s wrong?!”_ Pidge called worriedly.

“I- It’s Lance!” Hunk gasped out, his hands clasping together and finding their way to Lance’s chest.

Garrison Medical Training. 

Thank _God_ for that.

_“What? What’s Lance!”_

“The silence,” Hunk whispered.

_“Oh no,”_ Pidge breathed.

_“Pidge, you need to get them here and get them here now!”_

_“Hunk,”_ Coran chimed in after Allura, _“you’re nearly here, lad. You can do this.”_

*******

**_Pidge_ **

_Dammit dammit dammit--_

Lance wasn’t breathing.

_Holy_ shit _Lance wasn’t breathing._

He was supposed to be breathing.

He was supposed to be _okay._

They’d gotten him out. 

They’d _finally_ gotten him out of there.

He wasn’t supposed to be hurting anymore.

**Paladin! Lion can help!**

“I trust you, Green. Whatever it is, do it!”

WIthout any hesitation, Green flew to the back of Yellow, placing her front… limbs (did it sound like Pidge had the time to be anatomically correct about her lion?!) against the gold back. Pidge wobbled in her seat as the cabin shuddered and shook around her, Green having diverted any non-essential power to her back thrusters.

They were nearly to the entrance.

It dawned on Pidge that they might need everyone back at the Castle. Plus, Shiro and Keith would want to know what was going on.

Suddenly getting Haggar didn’t sound so important to Pidge. Maybe Shiro and Keith had gotten her by now, maybe they’d been delayed.

Her hand flew to the comms, fingers deftly connecting to the other two paladins. “Guys!” she yelled. “You need to get out of there now!” 

No sense letting Haggar off easy, though. Might as well put her handy-dandy kill switch to good use. 

Maybe she’d film it, give it to Lance as a birthday present.

_God that’s an awful idea, Katie, focus-_

_“We haven’t gotten Haggar yet, Pidge,”_ Keith slurred. Pidge’s eyebrows hit her hairline. 

Ohhh yeah. They _definitely_ needed to get out of there.

Luckily, Shiro was on the same wavelength.

_“Keith,”_ he answered, the patented Space Dad coming through, _“you’re in no condition to fight right now. You’ve got a possible,”_ a pause, “definite _concussion. We need to retreat.”_

_“But Haggar-”_

“Leave her,” Pidge interrupted briskly. “We need you here.”

Shiro caught on too fast for Pidge to acclimate herself to the words. 

_“What happened?”_

Hunk sobbed over the comms.

Pidge licked dry lips. “Lance isn’t breathing.

The silence was tangible for a solid five ticks. Pidge breathed out carefully, closing her eyes against sudden tears.

This wasn’t the time to fall apart.

But _oh fuck._

Lance wasn’t breathing.

_“We’re on our way,”_ Shiro said quietly, firmly. Pidge clenched her teeth, nodding thankfully for him.

“Please hurry.”

**_Paladin. Lion made it._ **Pidge looked up, seeing with wide eyes as Green and Yellow soared into the Castle, landing neatly. Pidge didn’t waste a second, bolting into Yellow’s hanger. Coran and Allura were already making their way over, but didn’t comment as Pidge gently shoved past, her breath gasping in her helmet.

_Come on come on come on come on-_

“Hunk!” she cried, skidding over to where he was hunched over Lance, rhythmically pressing the teen’s chest.

Hunk bit his lip, shaking his head silently.

“It’s not working.”

Pidge shook her head, refusing to be useless. Surely there was something in Yellow that would help. She raced to the back of the Lion, scanning the medical supplies.

After a few moments, it dawned on her that there was _nothing._

Abso-fucking-lutely _nothing._

Bandages? Sure.

Scissors for cutting flight suits? Of course.

Tape? Yup.

Food? Definitely.

Bruise cream? Yes.

There were flashlights, batteries, lanterns, matches, water pouches, splints, adhesive bandages, butterfly bandages, a whole damn roll of _duct tape_.

Nothing that would help in this situation.

Nothing she could use to help -- to _fix_ this.

**_***_ **

**_Hunk_ **

Hunk couldn’t look at Pidge when she came in. If he saw her, he’d break down. If he broke down, no one would keep Lance’s chest moving. If Lance’s chest stopped moving, Lance would die.

Hunk couldn’t let that happen. 

_“Guys?!”_ Shiro called. _“What’s going on?”_

“Nothing‘s happening, Shiro!” Pidge cried. “We- we need an AED or something.”

_“Do the Lions even have those?”_ Keith asked.

“Not that I’m seeing,” Pidge growled. Light, precise footsteps let Hunk know that Coran had joined the party.

“What exactly is an AED?” he asked softly.

Hunk couldn’t find the words to explain. Luckily, Pidge could. “It’s something humans use to… to restart their hearts with an electrical charge.”

Allura’s soft footsteps sounded behind. “I’ve never heard of any species using those methods. It sounds barbaric.”

_Staying alive. Staying alive. Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah. Staying alive. Staying alive. Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah._

The Garrison had drilled that song into their students’ heads. Hunk heard Lance singing it in his sleep for _weeks_ after they first taught the lesson.

He’d really hoped to avoid having to use it.

Something beneath Hunk’s hands snapped. Pidge inhaled quietly. 

He knew it was bound to happen. That had been a part of the training. It was an expected problem to encounter.

But _oh my God._

_I just broke one of Lance’s ribs._

_Oh God._

_I just broke my best friend’s rib._

_Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God-_

“Hunk!” Coran appeared at Hunk’s side suddenly, grabbing the taller teen’s shoulder reassuringly. “It’s okay. Keep going.”

“ _Hunk? What’s going on over there?!_ ” Shiro called. Pidge filled him in quietly, voice wavering.

Hunk nodded, not a little tearfully, and focused on his hands once more, having never once paused his motions.

_Staying alive. Staying alive. Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah. Staying alive. Saying alive._

The Yellow Paladin found himself suddenly whispering a mantra to his best friend. “Come on, Lance. _Please_ . Don’t do this. Don’t go where we can’t follow. We _just_ got you back, man, please come back.”

Hunk’s arms were shaking when a second rib snapped.

He gagged.

Allura hissed in sympathy. Pidge sobbed. Shiro growled. Keith swore.

“How do these AED’s work?” Coran asked, no doubt desperate to do _something_ to help. All other chatter on the comms died out immediately. 

“There are two paddles that, when applied to the human torso correctly, will complete a circuit and deliver an electric shock to the cardiovascular system, restarting it in the event that the subject’s heart stops beating.” Pidge’s voice is quiet, detached.

_Staying alive. Staying alive. Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah._

“But there is another way?” Coran pressed.

_“Adrenaline,_ ” Shiro realized. Pidge gasped.

Hunk didn’t dare enter the conversation. It wasn’t safe to hope right now.

“Adrenaline is a hormone produced in human brains when the body is in high stress situations. An injection of adrenaline directly into a human heart can restart it, but it’s risky.”

_“How risky?”_ Hunk could hear the stress in Keith’s voice. 

“ _It could irreparably damage Lance’s mind,_ ” Shiro explained, suddenly subdued.

“Guys,” Hunk interjected from the floor, startling everyone (including himself), “us debating this is not going to make Lance start breathing again! We need a solution and we need it now!”

_Staying alive. Staying alive. Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah._

“This ‘Adrenaline’, is a stimulant hormone?” Allura asked quietly.

_“Yeah,”_ Keith confirmed.

“Pidge!” Allura commanded. “We need to find a small, blue container!”

“What? Okay.”

“That just might work, Princess!” Coran exclaimed jovially.

“ _What are you talking about, Coran?_ ” Shiro questioned.

_Staying alive. Staying alive. Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah. Staying alive. Staying alive. Hah. hah. Hah. Hah._

“We’ve already observed many parallels in human and Altean anatomy- this appears to be another. Alteans have a similar stimulant produced, and we included it in your medical supplies should the event arise that any of you need miraculous muscle function or focus.”

“I’ve got it!” Allura cried out. “Hunk, you ready?”

_Staying alive. Staying alive. Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah. Staying alive. Staying alive._

“Y-yeah. On three?”

Allura balanced herself on her knees, quickly retrieving a small, clinical- looking syringe and positioning it above Lance’s heart. “One…”

_Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah. Staying alive. Staying alive._

“Two…” Hunk shifted his weight, ready to stop giving compressions. The very idea had his gut clenching, but he trusted Allura. He knew she knew what she was doing.

_“Three!”_

The princess plunged the syringe into Lance’s heart with a grunt and emptied it in a single, fluid, motion. She fell back, gasping as nothing happened for a solid five ticks.

Hunk’s arms hovered above his friend, unsure of what to do. His brain 

_Hah. hah. Hah. hah._

_Staying alive._

_Staying alive_

_Stay alive._

_Please stay alive._

Hunk’s eyes were full of tears when Lance lurched on the ground, eyes flying wide as his lungs reacquainted themselves with oxygen.

“H’nk?”

Hunk stared at his friend, not daring to believe that _it had worked holy quiznak!_ The others were crying out around him, but Hunk found himself unable to focus on that.

“Lance?”

“Dude,” came a hoarse whisper. “We have _got_ to work on your strength control.”

“ _Lance?_ ” Shiro could probably hear Lance over Hunk’s comms. “ _Is he okay?!”_

_“Did it work?!”_

Allura filled them in. Hunk didn’t really take stock of their reactions other than excited yelling in his ear.

“Seriously, dude. You’re like a puppy- that fucking _hurt,_ man. What’d you even _do_ -?!”

“Lance! Ohmygosh _Lance_ !” Hunk wrapped his arms around the coughing teen, letting him relax up against Hunk’s chest to catch his breath. “Don’t _scare_ me like that, man! Ever again!”

“Lance is okay, guys. He’s okay,” Pidge breathed to the others as they blasted the comms with questions. “He’s going to be okay.”

Hunk held Lance as closely as he dared, looking up at the others with happy tears in his eyes. 

“He’s okay.”

***

By the time Hunk and the others made their way to the floor of Yellow’s Hanger, Lance was unconscious again. Allura and Coran had run ahead while Hunk and Pidge made sure Lance was safe to carry so that a pod would be ready and waiting. 

Right as they reached the door, a very harrowed Shiro and Keith rushed the entrance, skidding to a stop at the sight of the three paladins.

Both looked immensely lighter at the telltale movement of Lance’s chest. 

It didn’t do much to diffuse the situation. 

“Are you both alright?!” Shiro asked urgently, eyes skittering over the two conscious Paladins. Seemingly satisfied, his gaze focused on Lance with a despair and fear he couldn’t quite hide from Hunk.

Hunk nodded sympathetically, silently acknowledging Shiro’s shock at what had happened to their Blue Paladin. “We’re both fine.”

“Let’s go!” Pidge breezed past them. “Lance doesn’t have time for your bonding.”

“Where are you going?” Keith asked, though it was a little more slurred than it had been earlier.

Right. Concussion.

Hunk’d have to ask Shiro what happened.

“I’ll meet you all in the med bay!” Pidge called over her shoulder.

“Wait for me!” Keith grinned, swaying dangerously even as he made to follow.

“Oh no you don’t!” Shiro grabbed the collar of Keith’s armor, steadying and stopping the Red Paladin simultaneously. _“You’re_ going to Medbay.”

Keith looked like he was about to object for one tense moment before sagging against Shiro. The Black Paladin chuckled. “Come on,” he said warmly. “I’ll give you a lift while we follow Hunk and Lance.” Keith tiredly climbed on Shiro’s back, letting his head flop against his brother’s shoulder.

“Ow,” he muttered. 

Hunk nodded at Shiro, not bothering with words as he jogged out of the hanger, Shiro hot on his tail. 

They rounded the corner to the Medbay in a blink that was much too long in Hunk’s opinion. True to Shiro’s report, Allura and Coran had a pod prepped for Lance already. Pidge was there as well, standing nearby to help if needed. 

“We don’t have time to put him in a pod suit- his flight suit will be just fine,” Coran said, gently taking some of Lance’s weight so that he and Hunk could carefully maneuver Lance into the cryo-pod. Shiro, meanwhile, coaxed Keith into a cryopod while Allura set the diagnostics. Pidge stood nearby, helping Shiro assuage Keith’s protests about Lance. 

The cryopods closed with a hiss, and Hunk fell to the floor, Pidge dropping next to him.

“ _Quiznack_ ,” Hunk breathed, leaning back on his hands. She nodded silently next to him. 

Shiro joined a moment later, letting Hunk blean on his shoulder. Pidge flopped down, head resting on Hunk’s thigh. She crossed her arms where she lay, seeming to find comfort in the action. Coran settled nearby, not needing the contact like humans did. Allura did the same; gracefully falling to the floor with an exhausted breath.

“Will he be okay?” Hunk asked after a moment.

For a frightening few ticks, Coran didn’t say anything. 

“Coran?” Pidge questioned shakily, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Hm?” Coran’s head shot up in surprise. “Oh! Terribly sorry, Number Five. Lance will be _fine_.”

“You looked awfully lost in thought there, Coran,” Shiro noted gently. The Altean nodded, eyes drifting to the ground again.

“Lance will be fine,” Coran repeated. “But it was close. _Too_ close.” Tears shone in his gaze, though he fought to blink them back.

“Coran--” Allura started, hand reaching out to the Advisor’s shoulder. 

“It was _too close,”_ he said again, voice breaking. Pidge sat up in surprise, eyes widening with concern. 

“He’s right,” Hunk said quietly, surprising everyone, including himself. Shiro looked over, worried. “No, he’s right,” the Yellow Paladin repeated himself, blinking fast. “This- this shouldn’t have happened. We were _all_ there. We were _all here._ While Lance was _alone._ And _scared._ And _hurt.”_

“Hunk,” Allura murmured, “Coran, I know-”

“No,” Pidge interrupted firmly. “Allura, there isn’t a fix for this. You can’t _fix_ what happened, what _we did-”_

“I know it’s not easy to accept,” Shiro intervened gently, but without challenge. “But the past is in the past. Lance made a choice, and nothing that we say or do will ever change that, no matter how much we hate the choice he made. Dwelling on ‘what ifs’ and ‘should haves’ isn’t going to make anything easier to bear. Our focus, right now, is Lance and making sure that that choice never has to happen again. Allura, Coran, do we know how long Lance will be in the pod?”

“He’ll be there for another three quintants,” Coran responded, wincing slightly at the familiarity. 

Pidge snorted. “Fucking irony,” she muttered. 

“Keith should be out in the next varga or so; the scanner readings say that his head wound wasn’t extreme,” Allura joined. 

Shiro nodded. “Good. I want you all to go clean up. I know everyone wants to stay and watch over these two,” Shiro jerked his head toward the pods, “but we all need a moment to breathe. Get clean, grab some pillows and blankets, and we’ll set up in here when we’re done to wait until Keith can join us. From there we’ll figure out our next move. Sound good?”

There were -- somewhat reluctant -- nods of assent. Hunk made to stand, only to freeze as his stomach made it’s own assent clear. He laughed quietly with the others, the mood lightening ever so slightly. 

“I’ll bring the food?” he offered.

**_***_ ** **_  
_** **_Keith_ **

Keith spilled out of the cryopod, sleep still dragging at his thoughts.

He always dreamed vividly in those stupid things. 

It had been an… odd dream at best. Not exactly the best dream he’d ever had, but certainly better than any nightmare. 

The entire team had been there: Shiro, Allura, Coran, Hunk, Pidge.

And Lance.

Keith couldn’t figure out why that mattered so much, but his dream had been filled with so much relief and joy at the realization that Lance was there.

They were fighting the Galra, as they did every other weekday anymore, and something had gone wrong.

As it did every other weekday.

But whatever. He was used to it.

The team had been handling it… when Keith was suddenly cornered. He called out for help, and upon seeing a flash of blue nearby, yelled for Lance.

He could hear Lance. He knew Lance was nearby. He got louder and louder and Keith was relieved because Lance was coming. Lance was almost to him. He was nearly to Lance.

Keith started fighting harder, still yelling Lance’s name. Lance was calling back, saying “I’m almost to you!” and “Hang on!”

Then Keith was… alone.

All the Galrans were gone.

But so was Lance.

The room turned bright blue, Keith shrinking back from the light.

He called again for Lance, panicked.

_“I’m sorry”_ rang in the air around Keith.

He couldn’t find Lance.

_“I’m sorry”_

That’s the last thing he remembered before white light and familiar, though still uncomfortable, cold.

***

Keith woke in a warm embrace; Shiro’s, he realized. The taller man immediately draped a blanket around Keith’s shoulders, and the Red Paladin leaned into the warmth.

“-ou with us?” Shiro was saying, rubbing Keith’s shoulders. Keith jerked to alertness, cold fading.

“Yeah I’m- yeah. I’m good.”

“Your pod was showing quite the activity in your mind. Were you alright in there?” Coran asked from the sidelines.

Keith’s brow furrowed, bits and pieces of his dream wafting through his mind. “Um,” he began oh-so eloquently, “Yeah. I’m fine. I was dreaming. It was weird.” He looked around, noting Pidge and Hunk burrowed in a pile of pillows and blankets nearby, Allura lounging similarly, albeit more gracefully. All were in their pajamas, and were talking quietly amongst themselves while Keith got his bearings.

His dream _had_ been weird.

Why though?

It hit him like a bolt of lightning.

_“I’m sorry.”_

The trap.

The explosion.

_Lance’s_ explosion.

Three quintants.

They’d saved him.

Wait, no-- he wasn’t breathing.

_Oh god he wasn’t breathing_

_Why did his head hurt?!_

The Galran- Batman-

Keith cut off that guy’s arm

Was Lance okay?!

Was he breathing!?

What if he wasn’t?!

Why was everyone else looking at him like he’d grown a second head?!

“Keith!” Pidge suddenly snapped. “Focus, Otis!”

_Focus._

“Is Lance okay?” Keith blurted out, belatedly realizing that he’d been staring intensely at the wall.

Hunk’s eyes softened from the worried terror they’d held moments before. “Yeah, man. He’s going to be fine.”

“Did I miss anything?”

“Nothing that can’t be explained once you get cleaned up,” Shiro assured. “You steady?”

“Yeah,” Keith grinned quietly. “I’ll be back in a tick.”

“Wait!” Hunk called suddenly from the floor. “What do you want to eat?”

Keith’s forehead furrowed in thought. “Surprise me?” he asked. Hunk’s eyes lit up.

“Sweet!”

***

“So how long is Lance in the pod for?” Keith asked around a mouthful of… something spicy and sweet and fucking _amazing._ He didn’t know what it was, but he loved it.

Hunk was still glowing from Keith saying he liked it.

  
  


Maybe Lance wasn’t the only one around here that needed more affirmation?

Keith would have to ask Shiro; if anyone on this ship would know (and not ask teasing, though fond, questions) it would be Shiro.

Keith filed the thought away as Pidge answered sullenly: “Three quintants.”

Keith nearly spat out his food. “Fucking ironic much?” he grumbled.

“That’s what I said!”

“Well, actually--”

_“Basically_ said, Hunk! _Basically_ said!” Pidge interjected, exasperated. “Honestly, of anyone of this ship to nitpick, I never thought it would be you.”

Keith nodded in agreement.

“Keith,” Allura said fondly over the bickering geniuses, “are you feeling alright now?”

He nodded. “Yup. I’m all good.”

“Which is great,” Pidge said, rejoining the conversation. “Because now we can figure out our plan.”

“Our plan?” Keith questioned. The Green Paladin clasped her hands in front of her, raising her chin slightly.

“Ahem. And I quote: _‘we’ll set up in here when we’re done to wait until Keith can join us. From there we’ll figure out our next move. Sound good?’.”_

Hunk and Allura burst out laughing while Shiro sputtered goodnaturedly.

“I don’t sound like that!”

“I don’t know,” Keith said, trying to bite back a chuckle for Shiro’s sake, “she kind of nailed you.”

“Take that, Space Dad! I got the emo’s consensus!”

“The _what_ now?”

Pidge shrugged, ignoring Keith’s offense. “No sense denying what can’t be changed. Besides, take it up with Lance; he’s the one that coined it.”

With that, the mood sobered a bit. Keith looked over at Shiro. “What exactly _is_ our next move?”

The older man sighed. “I don’t know. But this… this can’t happen again.” He locked eyes with the team. _“Ever.”_

“Okay, but I’ve known Lance for awhile now,” Hunk explained tentatively. “How are we going to do that? He’s never really thought about the bigger picture when it comes to others’ safety.”

“Whatever we do,” Allura said quietly, “we’ve got three quintants to figure it out.”

All heads followed Allura’s gaze up to Lance, dead to the world in the cryopod.

They would figure this out.

For him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOME QUICK THINGS!
> 
> First: Hi how are you all doing? It’s been a hot second, hasn’t it?? Sorry about that.
> 
> Second: I want to apologize for the chapter. That… that was supposed to be better and I worked and reworked this for like a WEEK and nothing better came out of it.
> 
> Third: I don’t know if any of you have looked at my other stories, but if you do I don’t you guys coming for my bad habit of “pod emergence” scenes. Yes I know this is very similar to “Vinic Ways”. If you’d like I can give a bref, mostly fluff, analysis of why I do this and how they’re technically different. But also I know most of you don’t mind and I appreciate you for that. It was just bugging me that that’s the only way I know how.
> 
> Fourth: YA GIRL IS NOW SEVENTEEN AHAHAHA send help
> 
> Fifth: One of my best friends just got an AO3 account and she’s like halfway through her first fic. SO. If ny oe you are a fan of Ray Palmer/Nora Darhk from the CW’s DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, please visit highladyofbloodshed. I’ll attach a link to her page below if any of you want to hop over and say hi. She’s amazing-- you’re going to love her:). She doesn’t know I’m doing this. But give her a shot!  
> Here’s da link: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highladyofbloodshed/pseuds/highladyofbloodshed
> 
> Sixth: There’s probably going to be one more chapter here, maybe two if I decide an epilogue is needed. What do you think will happen? HOw is Lance going to ract (send me your ideas- sometimes I’m a bad person and use them in my future plot points. I will credit you if I do thought- I’m not that terrible)
> 
> Seventh: (I know I’m being wordy but I have some free time; just finished a test LEAVE ME BE) I wanted to send some love and good vibes. You are all so amazing and wonderful and I’m really thankful you’re here. Once again for the people in the back: I’m glad you're here. I’m glad you woke up today. I’m proud of you, for all that you do. Keep taking care of yourselves, keep being amazing. I love you all.  
> Say safe.  
> (Happy Halloween) Peasant OUT!


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